


The Dog Days are Over

by TomteNisse



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, Canon compliant child abuse, Dogs, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Gen, Gender Neutral Character, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hurt/Comfort, Hyuuga affair, Mild Swearing, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reincarnation, everyone loves dogs, found family trope, minor characters made major characters, no romance for the main character, oc-insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 44,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21596908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomteNisse/pseuds/TomteNisse
Summary: Someone from our world dies and is brought into the Naruto world. All things considered, being surrounded by dogs since birth helps you get over that sort of thing, and ready to plan how to help all your beloved characters, who are now your beloved children. The only problem is how to do it without thumbs.*this is my first Fic, and based off all the reincarnation and time travel fix-its I love and replace Canon with.There will be no romance for the main character. Main character's pronouns are never specified.
Comments: 19
Kudos: 89





	1. A Series of Frustrating Events

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: I've changed a couple things about Naruto, and dogs, because I can. 
> 
> In this AU, Akamaru is going to be slightly older than Kiba, by about a month, and live slightly longer than the average dog (I don't know how long nin-dogs live in Naruto verse, but Akamaru needs to not be slowing down just as the adventure is ramping up)
> 
> Also, for whatever reason I have decided dogs are not deaf when they are first born. Bear with me please. 
> 
> Please correct my grammar, or critique it because it is my first serious fic...

_“You really don’t have to come, I’m just going to pick up my meds”_

_“But I want to! Ride or Die friendship, maaaaan”_

_“Jesus, I’ll only be gone for a half hour… tops”_

_“I like car rides?”_

_“Fine”_

Should have known not to go out, the snow on the ground had already melted and refrozen into ice, and the roads were slick. A car spun out in the oncoming traffic. ****** froze. Hands gripped the wheel. Jaw open. No noise. A whine in the back of my ears. It was going to be a head on collision. 60 miles an hour. I leaned over and grabbed the wheel. Shoved it away from me. Glass shattered and I could feel my body being thrown. I smelled blood, and the cold of the night.

Then It was warm. I was safe. I was calm. Something wriggled to my left. There were voices, but I did not understand them. I couldn’t open my eyes. Panic swept through me and I tried to reach out but something was wrong with my hands. They weren’t moving the way I wanted, and I couldn’t grab anything. But then I felt something soft… and wet? Envelope me and felt my fear fade away. I was so tired. So very tired. The wriggling to my left has calmed down some, and I can feel the steady thrum of someone’s heartbeat. Whoever it is does not seem too concerned. I fall asleep.

The next time I wake up it is to a loud boom, and an acidic smell. I try to open my eyes and see what it was, but they’re glued shut My arms and hands still feel useless. The smell is getting stronger now. I wrinkle my nose, and sneezes. Somewhere very close a dog barks. Nice to know there are dogs, I’ve always liked them. I can hear someone say something to the dog, but I still can’t make out what. There is still wriggling to my left. I try feebly to move around, to open my eyes, but it does not work. Once again, I am too exhausted to continue.

The voices sound worried about me. I know the tone. But I can’t pick out the individual words. The wiggling beside me stops and I panic. But I feel something warm, across my back, and it slides me forward, into something soft. Instincts take over at that point and I… nurse? This is milk. Not cow’s milk, or goats, not even sheep’s milk. But definitely milk. While my body takes over nursing, my brain short-circuits. Slowly, I start to piece things together. Am I a baby? Did i die? I can remember part of a conversation, and the lights reflecting off the road and then pain. I don’t even know what happened to… and suddenly, pain explodes right behind my eyes. I can’t remember. I fall asleep.

I don’t know how long I continue in this cycle. I wake up, nurse, and flail. I never seem to make out the words of each of the voices, but I can tell there are three at least. A woman, with a rough voice. A musical voice, that I think belongs to a man, and the voice of a young child. Something always sounds odd about them to me, but I can’t quite figure it out. I keep trying to piece together what they are saying until I realize it must not be English. I try to figure out more, but I fall asleep too quickly.

One day, I wake up to the wiggling next to me, and am surprised when I see white. My eyes are open! Excited I turn around, as best I can. There’s a brown blob wiggling to my left. A sibling? I keep turning. I can see more white for the floor and walls, and it’s so bright! My eyes aren’t focusing yet but that doesn’t really matter. Just that I can see! My arms and legs are still wobbly beneath me, but that doesn’t matter. Now that I can see I can figure out what happened. I try to move away, and am picked up by something huge. I must be a baby, there’s no other way I was picked up by something so huge. I try not to think about the painful parts of that. However long I have been out of it, was not enough to process that. Death. But even harder to process is what I can see from so high up; the brown wiggling sibling have become clearer. There are three more wiggling shapes, two brown, one spotted. They’re just shapes at this point. But the white softness I woke up to, and am being returned to…

Is a dog.


	2. Finding My Sea Legs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Speeding it up a little at the beginning, so I can start putting things together in a bit. 
> 
> Please feel free to critique things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 12/1
> 
> This was never meant to be a big reveal man.

I am panicking now. Dogs are nice enough, I guess. I’ve always liked them. But that’s not the same as being one, now is it? No thumbs, No chocolate, no TV? I can’t wipe my own ass anymore! I begin to squirm and try to scream but all that comes out is a weak whine. Whoever is holding me wasn’t ready for my panic attack because they drop me. I hear two curses, the man and woman, as I fall, before I am jolted. Someone has caught me. Their hands are rougher, but somehow feel safer and more secure. I can hear the feminine voice yelling. She must have caught me. I am still panicking, but her hands begin to massage me and it is enough for me to go from flailing to shivering. 

The white blob… dog… seems to let out an approving bark, and the woman turns to return me to the dog. I can feel the other puppies squirm around me, and for some reason, I can understand some of their whines. “Hungry” “food” and “loud” mostly. I really am a dog I guess. I should be panicking, but surrounded by warmth and the steady heartbeat of my mother? I can feel myself involuntarily relax. I guess It’s not that bad. No taxes, finals or bank accounts as a dog. Hey, I think i was a pretty decent person before I died, maybe this is some kind of reward?

I fall asleep. 

This falling asleep thing is pretty annoying, I can’t get through a single train of thought before falling asleep. Maybe that’s why I am not so panicked as I should be. I never have enough time to think about the past. But I am staying awake for longer and longer now, and I’ve got the hang of walking a little bit. I am still uneven, and tend to fall over if I go any faster than a snail’s pace, but I will get there! The other puppies try to follow me but inevitably bump into each other or get distracted. My mother sometimes lets out a noise that somewhere in the back of my mind, I know is a laugh. Good to know someone is enjoying this I guess. 

My vision is clearing up and I can see that the room appears to be japanese style. I walk across what look like those mats, that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of. It looks like a nice house, I think. Maybe I am the dog of someone important, and am going to be treated like royalty. The clothing of the little girl and the man look Japanese too, but from something like a period drama. Maybe they like dressing up? The little girl has a bob of brown hair, and fat cheeks. I like it when she laughs, but the fancy dresses she is always wearing keep tripping her. I think she might be about 6. Maybe 7? She always smells like unfamiliar dogs, but I never see them. I think we must be too young. The man has slightly darker hair, and a thinner face. He has laugh lines that make me think that he is a good man, but also a lot of stress lines. Sometimes he plays some kind of stringed instrument for us, and he is very good. He does not smell so much like dogs. He smells like soap. Lots of soap. I have not seen the woman for a while. She was loud, and often hurt my ears, but her hands were soft. I cannot remember what she looks like, besides maybe brown hair and a green shirt.

A few weeks later I am confident in walking. My limbs are long, and growing is a pain, especially the part where I have new teeth growing in, but I can walk! At least around the room. They won’t let me outside the room no matter how hard I try. I even convinced my siblings it is a game. Although, to be honest, all of them except for the spotted one seem a little too… dumb, I guess to suceed. They tend to goof off and I guess act like normal puppies. 

The other important thing I have learned is names. The Girl is Hana, the man is Tou-chan, but I think that just means Dad. My name is Aka, and my spotted sibling is Yuri. My mother is Satomi. I also learned “No,” although I pretend like I haven’t. I am both a dog and a baby. There is no reason I should have to follow anyone’s rules! Not that I did much before, which is probably why my roommates were always so exasperated with me.

The memories keep trickling in, but earlier ones. There aren’t really even any emotions attached. It’s like answering a history test, but it’s my past life. I had roommates. I was in College. I was studying to be a lawyer. I wanted to work with children. I read a lot. I could cook a little and liked making burritos. I was an EMT. I still can’t remember any names, not even my own, but I could remember little things. Instead of panicking, there was a sort of nagging in the back of my mind about my past. 

I could live like this. I could be sort of kind of happy like this. I might not get tacos, but maybe I can eat Hibachi. Is that a real Japanese thing, or an American-Japanese thing? I hope it’s here. Honestly I was doing pretty well. 

Of course, the family was not always there, especially the woman. There were other people watching us. They smelled like other dogs, metal and the outdoors. Unfortunately, they are even harder to trick than the little girl. I sent my siblings to distract the humans, so that I could run out the door. They were all the way on the other side of the room when I made a break for it. I was in the home stretch! But suddenly I was swooped up by a set of hands. How had they crossed the room so quickly? My answer came when the man and woman returned, their daughter in tow. 

They had a small bundle of something. I was still pouting from being caught, but something about the bundle made me curious, and my siblings too. We all raced as fast as our weirdly lanky legs could take us. I may or may not have tripped some of them to get there first. The man shuffles around so that the bundle was easier for us to see. It was a sleeping toddler, with a little patch of black fur. Hair. I really am a dog now, aren’t I? Maybe two years old. The baby shifts and then tries to pull himself up. He reaches out begins to pull himself up to toddle over to us, but falls on his butt when Yuki accidentally trips him. I can see the shock and then the poor boy’s mouth, gaping like a fish. He is getting ready to cry. The man picks up the little boy before he can begin crying. Yuki, meanwhile lets out a yelp and the woman rushes over to pick her up.. It was then that I noticed that the woman had two bright red fangs on her cheeks. 

Wait. 

Dogs. Old Japan. A girl named Hana. A mother with fangs on her cheeks.

Kiba. 

Naruto.

Shinobi.

I need a nap.


	3. Why are titles so hard?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a longer chapter now that I can get more of the story going. Our Main character is basically a puppy, so their emotions tend to seesaw a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited 12/1 (lol it's midnight. Ready for the Rawring 20s anyone? god I wish I wasn't old enough to know what that means.)

Waking up again, I decide I need to start planning. I’ve enough of Naruto to get the gist of some things that I want to fix. Hinata and Neji, the Uchiha Massacre, and Naruto being so lonely, to start. Maybe get rid of Danzo? But how am I going to do that without thumbs? Without being able to talk. Wait… there were totally talking dogs. That little pug Pakkun, and Kiba’s mother’s partner… what was his name again? Maybe they can teach me? But then I remember all of the Fics where the person realizes they will be thrown into T&I. Surely they won’t throw a cute little puppy in? Right?

It’s hard to tell what they would do, The series had been over for a while when I died, and I had been reading so many Fanfics that it’s hard to tell what's real anymore. Besides which, who's to say it wasn’t heavily censored? I was never a good planner, and now I can’t even remember what’s real and what’s fake about this world. If I am going to do something to fix all these problems, I would need to remember. Itachi couldn’t think of a way out of the coup and he was a genius! I am just a sort of decent student, who now doesn’t even have thumbs!

What if I mess up even more and make it worse? What if I get someone killed who wasn’t supposed to die? What if I die again? I can’t do this. I am going to mess up so badly. I could barely handle the pressure of a midterm and this is a lot scarier than that. I’m not clever, or ruthless or well spoken, and so many people who have failed. I flopped over and let out a little puppy whine. Why does this need to be so hard.

Suddenly, I feel my side being poked. In my previous life I was ticklish, and I guess that holds true here. Yuki is nudging me and looking worried. She lets out a little yip that I know means “Are you OK?” and watches me with those big puppy eyes. Really? Aren’t I supposed to be immune to those, now that I’m, Y’know, a puppy? I slowly and dramatically get up, pretending as if it’s a great trial to me, and then lunge at her. For all my human memories, I am still a puppy, and a good romp could help. There’s nothing else for me to do yet, I guess. Soon the rest of my siblings join in. 

It does feel good, I guess, after we have finished. We are collapsed in a pile of wiggles and our mother ambles over to snuggle us. I feel embarrassed for all my previous dramatics. Naruto wasn’t that quick on the uptake, and he always beat opponents he shouldn’t have, just because he kept trying. I could just be like him. How hard could it be? He’s basically a golden retriever to begin with, sunshine and love and way too much energy. Also, a ton of Chakra, which helps…

Chakra…

Wait! I bold upright and whoever was on top of me slides off and grumbles in their sleep. My Mother startles and looks at me. How could I forget Chakra, the source of everyone’s cool abilities. I’ll need it if I plan on doing anything. Now how do I figure it out? Where is it? I try to feel it within me. I try to think about Chakra, and look for something around my stomach that feels weird. Is that where it is for Everyone, or just for Naruto because he had the nine tails sealed there? Either way, I don’t feel anything out of the ordinary anywhere. My mother pads over and sits down, resting her head at eye level. “What?” she barks.

I think it over for a second, would it seem strange for me to ask about it? Should I even know what Chakra is? I rub my nose and come up with an excuse. “Hungry.” I try to add a pout to sell it. She laughs, but I still have the strange feeling she doesn’t believe me. Maybe it’s the way I notice her eyes trail me throughout the day. I need to come up with a reason why I would know what Chakra is, so I can get help with it.

My answer came soon enough when Hana returned to visit, this time with three dogs in tow. I blinked in suprise at the size of these new dogs, and some part of my puppy brain was alarmed. My mother recognized this, and simply said “pack.” which wasn’t the most helpful, when they began yelling and running around me and my siblings. Why were they so loud? I wish I could cover my ears. I saw one of the trio try to pick up Yuki, who looked terrified and wobbled up, to bark “stop” at him, but he didn’t even seem to notice me over the noise and chaos.

“SIT” little Hana yelled, and pointed to the ground. The three of them bounced over to see her, and she repeated her command until they took their seats next to her. She in turn introduces the dogs, Ichi, Ni and San, and I laugh, realizing she just named them “One” “two” and “three.” Not very creative, I guess. My mother sends me a look, and so do they. Oops.

Then Hana walks over and one by one, picks up my siblings and announces their names, before putting us down. The first of my siblings lets out a panicked bark at being picked up and tries to squirm away. Yuki startles a bit but doesn’t let it show, until she’s raised up above Hana’s head. I think Hana squeezes a little too hard because suddenly I hear a shriek and realize Yuki has peed on Hana. the triplets are immediately there, and barking, Yuki still high above the ground while Hana flails. I’m not sure what to do but I can see this going very badly very quickly so I try to yell at the triplets to calm down. Yuki is trembling now, and the bigger dogs won’t listen to me. My mother also seems anxious, and is barking too. Then it happens. One of the triplets was circling behind Hana, and as she backed up she tripped over him, starting to fall backwards.

I’d like to say it was all happening in slow motion, but that’s not quite right. It happened fast, very fast. Before I knew what had happened, my mother had collided with Hana, softening her fall, and Yuki’s. I suddenly found myself on Hana’s stomach, and the twins were circled around us. Hana hiccuped for a second and then broke out into sobs. Poor girl. She was covered in pee and bruises. She gently set down Yuki and brought her sleeves up to wipe her face. I whimpered and tried to paw at her, to cheer her up. Yuki had curled up beside our mother who had begun to groom her gently. The Triplets were quieter now, and I was thankful. Peace and Quiet.

Then a door slammed open. So much for that. Hana’s father and mother rushed in. Her father gathered her up and I fell off her lap. Her mother immediately began to inspect my siblings and I. Both seemed satisfied before turning to Hana. I could tell she was getting quite the scolding from her parents and felt a little bad for her. 

That night I asked my Mother how she had gotten from where she was, to behind Hana, so quickly. “Chakra,” she responded.

“What’s that?” I asked, pretending as if I was curious, and didn’t know.

“It’s our energy, and when we focus, we can use it to do things we can’t usually do.”

“Like move so fast?”

“Yes, that’s how I moved so fast.”

“What else?”

“There are a lot of other things, It makes you hear and smell better, for one thing.”

“Anything else, pleeease?” I tried my puppy eyes and she sighed. What can I say, I want to wall walk. 

“Yes, but you don’t need to worry about that right now,” she says and tries to turn away from me.

“What? I want to learn how to use Chakra! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me now!” Her look tells me that it wasn’t the right response.

“Listen, learning to use Chakra is dangerous, and you only learn it if there’s something even more dangerous out there...” she says in a low voice, trailing off at the end. I decide to leave it at that. Was my mother ever a ninkin? She must have been if she could use Chakra. But why did she seem so against me learning to use my Chakra. I feel bad for her because now she seems sad. But at the same time, I have to learn it if I want to help all of these children. Sorry Mother. I am going to learn about it anyways.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akamaru needs to start training somehow, and time is passing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited this! Low key I am now writing arc by arc, and section by section to make sure there are no major problems, but this is still very much a ruff (puns. I love puns!) draft, I want to get the story out and see what people like and don't like, and where it takes me, and then polish it up in a rewrite. 
> 
> Speaking of, the previous chapter 4 is now chapter 6.

I think I must have been about 6 weeks old the next time I saw Kiba. I am not sure if it was because of my previous life, or my dog instincts, but I adored him. My siblings sniffed him for a few moments until they dissolve into fighting. I did not. Instead, the little boy would point at something and say the word for it, and I would run over and try to bring it to him. Once he pointed to one of the cushions. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pick it up but he laughed and laughed watching me try before toddling over to try to help. Eventually the two of us together were able to move it to his growing horde of items I had fetched him. It was a good way to begin to learn the Japanese names for some of the items, although I wonder if he was always saying them right. His mother, Tsume watched us, before looking over at mine. My mother seemed disappointed in something. She let out a wuff and settled her head on her paws, turning away from us. Tsume reached out to ruffle mother’s fur, but it didn’t seem to cheer her up. 

What was I supposed to do? I knew I was hurting her, but I also knew that Akamaru was Kiba’s ninken, and now I was Akamaru. I knew that we had a long road ahead of us, and for some reason, my tendency to procrastinate was left behind in my old world. So I continued to play with Kiba, and tried to ignore my mother when she sighed.

Kiba came around more and more often over the next few months, and I continued to play with him throughout them. My siblings also joined in, but I often had to bark out a warning when they got too rough. Sometimes Hana stopped by as well, with the Triplets. They always seemed too energetic, but I tried not to show it. Mostly because I figured they were my ticket to learning Chakra. Mother was still tight-lipped about chakra, and I still couldn’t find my own. In all the stories I had read about reincarnation into the Naruto universe, the person immediately knew what was wrong, and could find their chakra because it was so unfamiliar. But all of my senses were unfamiliar. My hearing and smell were too sharp and strong, my vision was funny. I knew what colours some of these things would have been in my previous life, but so many were now a mustard colour. It was all so different, and I couldn’t tease out Chakra from this mess of new.

When I was about two months old, we were finally been allowed outside. It was summer, I think, and the weather was beautiful. Hot, but not too hot, and the entire outside world was so alive. There were crickets and cicadas singing throughout the trees, and I could hear the sounds of a small city beyond the walls. My siblings began investigating all of the grass and bugs. I tried to copy them, so that if my mother was watching I wouldn’t concern her, but I kept my eyes fixed on Hana and the triplets. 

Hana must have started the Ninja part of the academy recently, because she now had blunted Kunai that she would throw at the make-shift target range in the yard. Once she finished a round, she would send the triplets out to retrieve them. Honestly though, Hana sucked. Her aim wasn’t that great, and they always bounced off when they did connect. Maybe it was the blunted kunai? But based on her frustration, she thought there was something wrong. This wasn’t the most useful thing to watch, but it was my only lead. Sometimes she tried to wrestle the triplets but I still didn’t see any obviously Chakra-enhanced moves. When would she start practicing the academy three?


	5. This is not Filler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have a point, I promise!

It wasn’t long until I found out exactly when we were in the timeline. Kiba’s second birthday came, and I was ready to meet the others of the rookie nine. I was so ready to begin bonding with Hinata so that I could save Neji, and all of us really, from his fixations on fate. I did not have a really clear plan on what to do, except somehow I knew that I had to be there, and to do that, I had to get to know the young heiress. 

Unfortunately, she did not come. Instead, I met the very small Ino-Shika-Cho trio, a very small Shino and some other Inuzuka children. The toddlers were, of course, loud and chaotic, but easily distracted. Balloons and streamers filled the largest room I had seen so far in this house. I hadn’t really explored too much of it, but still. There was plenty of food and presents, and the young children were playing with many different toys on a soft mat in the corner. It seemed the party was more for the parents than the children. 

I decided that just because I couldn’t meet Hinata doesn’t mean that the day was a total loss. I trotted over. First to Kiba, of course. He was loudest of them all, with a small crown on his head, and squealed when he saw me. This caused all of the children to turn to him and trample over to me, grabbing at my ears and tails. Ow. Ow. I felt like my ears were ready to come off! I suddenly understand why there were no other dogs around the toddlers, but hanging back at a safe distance. Hana swooped in and picked me up, telling them that they were playing too rough. She smoothed down my fur and set me down. Kiba decided that Hana meant that I should be protected, and picked up a rubber Kunai, waving it around. Choji looked like he was beginning to cry. Quickly I sidestepped Kiba and ran over, tail wagging to the boy. Hana showed them all how to be more respectful. If I ever learned how to speak, the first words out of my mouth would be a thank you to her. 

Choji cheered up quickly and seemed like he really enjoyed being around me. Shikamaru occasionally gave me a pet, but he looked like he was more concerned with using me as a pillow for a nap. Babies have such heavy heads! Ino was currently trying to build a big tower and place one of the stuffed animals on the top of it. I padded over to see, and she absent-mindedly pet me as well. 

What I forgot to think about was how Kiba would react. Suddenly he was punching the tower, yelling about how I was his dog, and nobody else’s. The tower came crashing down, hitting me and Ino, who immediately got up and yelled at him. Soon they were pushing each other and screeching at each other. This of course, made poor Choji cry as well. Meanwhile, I was busy recovering from the daze of having all those blocks fall on me. I shook myself off and got off to try to get them to stop. First I tried barking and nudging at all of them. That didn’t work. I saw Ino pick up a toy, some kind of ninja doll made of wood, to hit Kiba who was too busy yelling at Choji to notice. Where were the adults? When were they going to step in? I looked around but they seemed unconcerned. The few I saw that were watching seemed to be making comments about the toddlers’ technics! It was so loud, and with all these shrill, overlapping children’s voices, I just got so frustrated. I barked again. Except this time it was different. Louder. More powerful. It was as if my bark was a wave coming up behind me. 

They stopped, and turned towards me. Thank heavens. I quickly pulled the doll out of Ino’s hands. She was too shocked to give much of a fight. I then ran over to Kiba and gave him a couple licks. The poor boy, so easily jealous. I remember him from the Manga being so loud, and somewhat annoying. He was so easy to anger, and let that make a fool of himself. It must have started young. It was then that I saw the dogs, and some of the adults looking at me. My mother was the one face that stood out. She walked over to me, and let out a heavy sigh before pushing her head to mine. “That’s Chakra,” she said in a whisper, and I go rigid. Chakra.

Later that night, after all the guests had gone, and the Inuzukas began to wind down, I tried reaching for it again, but I couldn’t feel it. I couldn’t find my Chakra, or sense it in anyone else.


	6. This was originally chapter 4.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it seems familiar

At least until a few days into autumn, when her mother suddenly appeared behind her, and began correcting her stance. Hana looked sheepish at first, before Tsume said something or other that had her standing up straighter, eyes brimming with confidence. Tsume grabbed one of the kunai and all of a sudden it started glowing. Then she hurled it into the target, where it sank all the way up to the hilt. Chakra! And even from where I was, I could feel the weight of the energy, and it’s warmth. Almost like being covered in warm sand. Which made me think of Gaara. Which made me wince. I’m not sure how I could go head to head with something like a tailed beast. Even if I were human. 

On that note, my wonderful plan to save everyone had gotten about this far: Therapy-no-Jutsu. Just thinking about it made me frustrated. I felt so powerless, so I did the only thing I could think of. Dig a hole. So far my plan isn’t super great, but at least it’s a beginning. Besides, all of these holes are giving me a good workout. Or at least I hope they are. And Hey, it worked for Naruto right? I tried not to think about how hopeless that sounded. Anyways, it meant that I would have to find a way to be around these people, a lot. Which seemed doable. Oooooh, here comes a rock, have to dig around that. We were part of a clan, right? Maybe not as dignified and regal as the Hyuuga or Uchiha, but still. Little Kiba would probably be having all kinds of playdates with the other heirs soon enough, right? Is this a stick or a root? I gnaw on it but it doesn't budge. Must be a root. Someday I will be strong enough to splinter trees. I could never do that in my old life. I can do this!

With that quick swell of hope, I return to digging with a new fervour. I’ll use my charm to befriend all the children, and then their parents, and then… I don’t even know. But I will get it, eventually. I think Hinata is a little younger than him, and was a toddler when she was kidnapped, so I would have some time. She gets kidnapped by Kumo Ninja. They sneak into her bedroom, and then Neji’s father is her ransom. That traumatized Neji, the poor child. I was so deep in thought that when I heard a rough voice bark “PUP,” I jumped so high I nearly flipped. 

Kuromaru barked out a laugh. “Hey pup, noticed you deep in thought after that little demonstration” and with this he jerked his head towards Tsume and Hana. I nodded. “Interested?” he said, and now his teeth were bared in a grin. I tried not to shudder. Whether it was excitement or fear I do not know.

“Yes… but...” and with this I glanced at my mother, “I don’t think my mother wants me learning about it.”

He followed my line of sight, and my mother caught his eye. They stared at each other for a long time, before she walked over. I began to realize that maybe instead of just an amble, it was a limp. When she reached us she nodded. But it was not friendly. “Kuromaru.” she says.

“Hello, you are looking well” he said, “You and your litter.” she hmphs at this.

“Yes.” she says. I can see more of her teeth than I am used to. 

“This one in particular--”

“Akamaru”

“Yes, Akamaru, seems rather clever. I see a great potential” I try not to puff up my chest at this. I do love praise. But when I see mother’s look, that pride dies down. I get the feeling that he is not the sort she could argue with, even if she wanted to, and she very much does. “Perhaps as a Ninkin?” I can hear mother bite back a growl, and he shoots her a glare. She tries to raise her hackles, before slowly lowering them. 

“I suppose” she whispers, and she can’t seem to meet his eyes. 

“Good, the young Heir needs a good Ninkin, one with a good head on his shoulders, to watch over him.” and with that Kuromaru turned to me. 

“I can train you, it will be hard, and difficult. If you are one of those crybabies, you’ll want to give up now.”

“No sir! I am ready!”


	7. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the benefits of being a dog is that your body grows much faster than humans, so training at 4 months is not just possible, but to be expected!

Training began later that evening, when a rather large dog sprang at me from behind a bush, quickly flipping me over with jaws against my throat. He withdrew and growled that I would have to find him again before sunrise. Then he ran off, zig-zagging into the darkness. I remained stunned for what felt like forever processing what happened. Then I sprang to my feet and ran off after him. 

I think he went this way? But was it a faint? I was so blindsided by the attack that I hadn’t taken the time to focus on his scent, and with all of these dogs, I had no idea how to pick him out from the crowded scents of the compound. Then I realized, I don’t even know my way around the compound. This entire time I had only explored one of the training yards and a few of the rooms in the kennel area. Without even thinking, I had already run far past anything I knew. I stopped to look around.

I was in a small road, with a few houses on either side. They were small, with plenty of space in between them. They were mostly for sleeping and cooking, the rest of Inuzuka life took place outside as much as possible. There were clumps of bushes and wild plants growing untamed in these fields, full of the scent of children and animals. Further back along the compound walls were trees, with thick branches and vines growing along them, almost blocking out the rest of the village. Certainly from sight, but there was the slow murmur of the city going to sleep, and a few scents of the city drifting in when the wind blew just right. There were still some children playing outside. Even where there weren’t children, their scents lingered on toys and makeshift forts and leantoos they had built. The scent of dogs were everywhere, and there was the sound of music coming from one of the houses.

Trying to pick out a dog, and one that I barely knew, out of all of this was difficult. The more I tried, the more I felt a headache coming on. What should I do now? I can’t track by scent or sound now. Chakra was always out of the question The light is fading so if I want to track him by sight I will have to do it soon. This training is all about being a better ninkin. A good ninkin is like a good ninja. Ninja, of course, climb on roofs. But how do I get there? I was only up to the shin of an average adult. I would have to pick carefully, they weren’t close enough for me to jump from one to the other, but it would take so much time to get up and down them.

The center of the compound then. Where would that even be? Furthest from the scent of the city, I suppose. While I couldn’t track the dog, the scent of the city was ever prevailent. It was dirty, like trash. I tried my best to run from that scent as best I could. Finally I reached a place that felt reasonable and looked around. There were a few houses, grouped closer together, but still far enough apart, and some buildings that looked like shops and warehouses. 

One of the buildings had a few barrels stacked outside of it. Based on the noise coming out of it, I think it must have been a bar. I climbed up them and then gave a desperate jump to the top of the roof. Of course, it didn’t work. Despite that I jumped again. And again. Panting, I looked around. There was a drainpipe, but there was a wide distance between me and it. The first time I jumped and immediately slid down. The second I was able to dig my claws in and scrabble up a few inches before sliding down. The third was not much better, and the fourth was worse. I was exhausted.

What was the point of this? Kuromaru must have known that this was way beyond me. What am I learning from being so obvious outclassed? I was frustrated and not knowing what else to do, I dug deep into the packed earth. 

From somewhere in the distance, I heard a dog bark, and whirled around. It wasn’t him. This was a more feminine voice, I think, and sure enough, a female dog with several long parallel scars running down her back came trotting by. Her tongue lolled, and something about her reminded me of Anko. She let out a cackle at me, then broke out into a run. 

As I watched her leave, I saw a ladder behind one of the buildings. Of course! I quickly jumped from rung to rung and began my climb up to the top of the building. Once up to the roof I gingerly walked up and down the tiles. I’ve never been on a roof before. In my previous life I was afraid of heights. I had to put that behind me to focus on scanning the compound for a sign of the dog. How would I even know? The dog was mostly black, with a white muzzle and front paw. I remember that. But many dogs here were black. This was such an unfair training. 

Then I saw something that caught my attention. I saw him. He was three “streets” down, just grinning at me, lopsided with fangs bared in a challenge. I scrambled down the ladder and leapt after him. As I ran into the middle of the road, he gave me a taunting look, and ran right at me. I startled and moved to let him pass. Two beats later I turned to give chase. Unfortunately, he knew how to make the most of the height distance. He jumped over benches made of fallen logs, bushes, and tumble-down rock walls. I simply couldn’t keep up. Desperate, I jumped over one of the rock walls and landed into a briar. The thorns tangled into my fur, and every struggle to get out drew small cuts. I was tired, my paws hurt from running, and now I was trapped. I went limp trying to catch my breath, and watched him disappear again.


	8. What was all of that even for?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuromaru has his own version of the bell test it seems.

It wasn’t until a long while later that I heard someone returning and let out a desperate yip. It was a ninja. She looked tired, like dirt and bruises, and I smelt something foreign, mist and mildew. She must have just returned from a mission, and was coming home late. I let out another yip and she carefully began pulling the thorns away and cutting at some with a kunai. She cooed at me, and gently dabbed a few of my cuts. It was strange, to know that she must have been killing and fighting, and here she is, using a baby voice and taking care of me. Her ninkin came up beside her and looked at me. “Anything troubling you?” the dog rumbled.

“Training” I replied. I didn’t have the energy to elaborate. 

They sat back on their haunches and seemed to think. “Kuromaru?” they said. I nodded. “Good luck then.” The dog wagged their tail slightly and walked off with the ninja. As they left together, I saw the ninkin very subtly flick their head towards a different section of the village. I took a deep breath and took off again. While I hadn’t gotten much more time with my target, when he ran past I got a better idea of his scent. It was late, and there were fewer dogs out and about. Hopefully I could track him better now. 

Renewed, I began scanning every street and cranny. I caught sight of the dog, and saw what I could have sworn was honest shock, and not just him playing with me again. He took off again. I realized that our previous chase must have been very slow compared to his true speed. Nevertheless, I kept chasing him. I got such tunnel vision that I didn’t notice that when I passed my own home. Yuki saw me and tried to call me over. This brought my mother over, and she told me to return. I called out “training” and I heard her choke back a noise. I turned to look at her, and she just stared at me, making my stomach flip. By the time I turned back to the chase it was too late and I ran straight into a wall. 

That is how it continued until dawn, when finally, the dog trotted right out in front of me. He let out a lopsided grin. I dragged myself to him and collapsed on his tail. “Got you” between pants. 

He laughed and said “good job!” before turning and howling “Kuromaru!” 

The dog in question appeared beside us. He looked me over and nodded at the other dog. “Yes, you did well, kept going despite the odds.” 

Really? That’s why they made me do that all night? I whined internally. It made sense now that I heard it, and put the pieces together. I am a small dog, and he wants me to accompany the youngest heir of the clan everywhere, including into battle with bandits and foreign ninja. I thought back to how hopeless I felt while in the Briars. That wasn’t even life and death. In my previous life, I had never been in a life or death situation, or even slightly dangerous. I was raised in a suburb, went to College in a safe town, didn’t even go out very often. I had never even been in the Emergency room for a broken bone or anything. I was so busy planning how I could improve this story, and never even thought about whether or not I was capable of surviving. 

I couldn’t continue further, because I was snapped out of my reverie by Kuromaru. He prodded me to spin around and examined all my injuries. Then he asked me about the plans I had made. I answered them all as best I could, and when he was satisfied he nodded to the other dog, picking me up and dropping me on the other dog’s back.

The dog took off, with a careful, measured gate, probably to keep me from falling off. He introduced himself as Kenta. He is a Ninken, but his partner had caught a bad illness in the third great ninja war, and needed to take his medicine daily. Therefore, the two of them mostly did patrols around the village wall and the nearby forest. He was home every evening, which he sort of enjoyed but sometimes he missed the thrill of exploring a new land. I was tired, but I enjoyed listening, and hummed at some of my favorite parts of his stories. 

Finally, he dropped me off at my house, in front of my mother’s feet, and greeted her. Then he turned and left. I walked in, and my siblings greeted me, so I mustered a cheerful voice and told them I had been training all night. That just led to more questions though. My mother snapped at them to go outside and for me to sleep. I shuffled over to the darkest corner I could find and fell asleep immediately.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training montage!

That afternoon Kuromaru greeted me briskly and then ordered me to follow. We ended up in a training field. He had me run back and forth, several laps, and then do a set of jumps. After that he sat me down. 

“You are young. That means you are weak. You can’t hold your own in a fight against any ninken worth their salt, and would probably lose to most Genin.” I shifted from one side to the other. “Now, this won’t always be true, but there is no guarantee that the bot’s enemies will wait that long. His sister, Hana-” at this I nodded excitedly. I hadn’t seen her in a while “has three ninken. By the time Tsume was in the field, I was full grown. You will not have any of these advantages.” At this point I was frustrated, why is it all about how much I can’t do?

“There are things you can do, of course. I don’t waste my time on hopeless cases. If you can’t beat someone in a fair fight, don’t fight fair. Surprise your enemies, always fight on your own terms, and be the first to strike.” Yes, that made sense, of course. “And of course, do what you can to keep him out of danger, keep him even tempered-”  
“What?” he glared at me, and I shifted uncomfortably.

“We don’t just watch their backs. We help them grow. You have a lot of influence over what he does, and what part of the Shinobi branches he goes into.” he pauses here, and seems to consider something. He almost speaks and then shuts his mouth. “Yes. keep him safe. Make sure he doesn’t end up in one of those front lines. Tracking maybe? Or border patrol, customs. All very safe.” he muses to himself. “Although, if he takes after his mother that would be a tall order.” he rumbles. Was that a laugh.

“Get ready for training then.”

He did indeed train me until I was bone tired. Mostly we focused on agility and tracking. He said the best thing for me to do was to be able to find the enemy before they could find me, and then be able to strike quickly enough to disable them before they could strike. I continued to have to track down Kenta, as well as other dogs. I would have to chase after them, and inevitably lose them. Then they would hide and stay in place. Kuromaru timed me throughout this ordeal, but over the next few weeks, as my limbs grew longer and better trained, I continued to grow faster and faster. Once I managed to do it to some standard he had in his head, he called me over.

“I take it you know a little about Chakra. I remember you using it during Kiba’s birthday” he glanced at me. We were both watching bright orange leaves fall from the tree. I nodded. “Good. Chakra is the energy that flows through every living thing, and each one of us has our own distinct Chakra, like our scent.” Or like fingerprints for humans, I mused. “There are of course, Two parts, a physical part and a spiritual one. The first we can train by training our bodies. The second, by meditating. Together, they form Chakra, and give us the ability to push ourselves beyond our normal limits.” 

This sounded very familiar, but I suppose there’s no harm in hearing it again. “Chakra flows throughout our bodies, but it pools in certain areas, that we call gates. There are eight. Two in the head, two in the spine, one in the abdomen, two in the stomach, and finally, the heart.” I remembered some of this from Rock Lee’s fight with Gaara, but never took the time to think about where they were. “Some humans can open these gates, to gain extra powers, but we aren’t concerned with that now. Right now, I just need you to practice moving your chakra around in your body, from one gate to another.” I nodded, that made sense. I still didn’t know how to do that though. 

He barked and suddenly there was a human before us, I think I knew her companion dog, he might have had three legs? She’s pretty, almost like a tanned Uchiha, her hair is more tame than most of the Inuzukas, and she seems more put together. She doesn’t smell of all of the blood and sweat of the usual ninjas. Gently, she pressed two glowing green fingers right on my forehead. There was a surge of warmth, bordering on heat, but not necessarily unpleasant.

“That was a simple medical Jutsu, meant for chakra exhaustion. You have so little chakra that you probably cannot sense it enough to move it. This way you can start learning early. She has agreed to stay, to make sure you do not hurt yourself” He explains. I am grateful for that, and try to convey that to her through a few wiggles and barks. She just smiles at me. Kuromaru nods at her and says something in Japanese, that I am fairly certain means thank you. 

I close my eyes and try to feel for it now. I am overwhelmed by the feedback, it’s as if I am suddenly in a tundra, I can feel tingles against my skin, and feel every single breeze and blade of grass. I can smell my family at home, Kiba and Hana together, and even further beyond the compound. I’m so sensitive, but somehow my brain is keeping up. 

“Focus on pulling it all into your chest, most of the gates are there, aim for your heart.” I can hear Kuromaru saying, but I don’t dare open my eyes, it’s all so much as it is. I try as he says, and can feel almost a ripple, but going in reverse, from my limbs to my heart. “Like that. Again” I hear, so I do. Over and over again, and I feel like it must have been a full day of me doing this. I can feel some of the chakra almost evaporating off of me each time I pull it in, and soon it’s dwindling. My skin is no longer so sensitive, and the scents are dulling again. My chest however feels like it is full of bees or some kind of insect. I just want to do something!

“Now push it all out, to your limbs.” And I try this, but it proves much harder. By the time I hear crickets, I haven’t even managed it once. I don’t know why, but pulling it all in towards me seemed so easy, like I was sweeping it all up in a net, but whenever I try to make it move outwards it feels like Iike I am digging sand out of a hole. The second I place it, it starts trickling back in. I begin to fidgit, thinking about dinnertime, and the smells. Kuromaru notices this.

“We are done for today.” and then I hear his footsteps leaving. I open my eyes. The woman is still there but she is focused on some sort of design, scribbling in the margins of it, and takes no notice of me. Her dog, a tan Akita I remember seeing a few times is resting beside her.

“Having trouble with that?” he says, and I nod. “It means you’ve got a secret, now I wonder what a little runt like you could be hiding?” he hums and I can feel myself going rigid.

“Ummm… nothing? Gotta go! Bye!”

I can hear the barking laughter as I turn tail and sprint back home.


	10. I ask for cuddles but all I get are struggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first road block

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****** is for a word that either our main character cannot translate from Japanese yet, or a name from their past life that they have forgotten.

I continue to struggle with pushing my chakra ouwards, and I can tell Kuromaru is getting more and more frustrated. His explanation of Chakra was the longest I have ever heard him speak, so his explanation of how to push Chakra out is useless. The more I fail, the harder he pushes me in other areas of my training. I am practicing hiding, and every time he catches me too soon, he drags me out and has a “practice spar” with me, which never ends well. While He never yells at me, I can tell that I am disappointing him.

He finally reaches his limit with me on the first snow of the year. I spend the morning practicing Chakra exercises, and have gotten almost as fast as him in drawing my chakra in, and I can even sense it and move it without the help of the Ninja. However, I still struggle to push it out, and lose nearly 90 percent of my chakra when I do. It’s like trying to push a square block through a round hole. When i finish moving my chakra around he lets out a big sigh, and dismisses me for the day.

Since I began my training, I’ve spent pretty much every waking moment being trained. Even when Kuromaru was away on missions, he left one of the other dogs in charge of me, usually Kenta or one of the retired ones. Having a whole afternoon for myself, I felt unsure. I began to walk off my frustrations at my failure to push my chakra out. Was what that dog said correct? Was it really because I was hiding a secret? I mean, is it really a secret if no one bothers to ask and you don’t really do anything to conceal it? I doubt there is much I could do that would make the other dogs thing “wow, that’s probably a human from another universe.” but does that make it a lie by omission? I whine. I always hated philosophy classes. They never seemed to do anything but make you feel shitty about yourself. 

Without even thinking I found myself in front of what was probably the largest house in the compound. I could smell Kiba inside, and his father, but no-one else. I suppose if I am going to be his Ninken, better get to know him. So I let out a little bark, and his father opens the door. He looks more tired now, and I can see white strands in his dark hair. When he sees no one at the door he lets out a hum of confusion, and I bark again.

“**** *****, aren’t you ******* young ******** alone?” He says. While my Japanese isn’t perfect, it is improving, and I count this as a win. I nudge him and then enter the house without waiting to be invited. The puppy side of me takes over and I am soon sprinting to where I can smell Kiba. He is sleeping in a small room off the kitchen. Something doesn’t seem right, and as I pad closer I can smell the sweat and sickness coming off of him. 

“He ******* ****** a cold ******** ********* playing ******** ******** ******,” comes a voice behind me. Damn ninja, too sneaky. If Kuromaru had been here he would have been so disappointed that I didn’t notice the man sneak up on me. He leans over and feels Kiba’s head with his wrist, before ruffling my head and leaving, with the door slightly ajar. Unsure of what else to do, I lay down and watch Kiba sleep until I, too, fall asleep. 

My dreams are filled with nightmares, flashes of my old life being mixed with what I know the future brings, and me helpless in it all. It’s like there’s some kind of invisible barrier that prevents me from reaching out to stop any of it, and no one can hear me scream a warning. I see the car crash, and Kiba’s fight with Sakon and Ukon, the later fights with the Akatsuki and Gaara’s death. I see the Uchiha massacre and Sasuke returning to school. But I can’t stop anything, and no one will listen to me. I keep pounding and pounding on the barrier, until I jolt awake.

Kiba has woken up and picked me up. He drags me over to his lap, and starts petting me as gently as a two year old can. “***** you scared? Don’t ******* scared. I’m here!” he says softly, once again, as much as a two year old can. “******* I ****** scared too. But ********* I ******* ninja. Ninja ******* need ******* to be scared of anything. They’re strong. Like My mom! She is the strongest, scariest ninja **** I know!” then he leans over and says in a low tone, like it’s some kind of secret: “Mom scares everyone, Hana, Dad, ninja. **** she is afraid of ******”

Damnit. Now I really do wish I knew more Japanese. I may or may not really really enjoy gossip. But I didn’t even have a clue what that word was, and based on the way Kiba is now chattering about…. Something in his picture book, I don’t think I am going to find out soon. But I let him try to read to me. He obviously can’t read, but he’s making up a story for me anyways. I stay there until I hear Kuromaru enter.

“Go home, runt.” he says. And I obey. Because He is the size of a bear, and I am tiny.


	11. A little dash of Angst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not too heavy, because I want this to be a mostly cheerful story, but we need a little dark to make the light.

When I get home my mother is waiting. I have not seen her for a long time; as my littermates and I grew older we were separated for her, and now with my training, I am only in the kennels to sleep. I suddenly feel a deep sense of shame, I wasn’t very close to them, and it was hard when my littermates were puppies, babies basically, and I was a full grown human mentally. But I could tell that they missed the strange little addition I made to the family. As I approach I can smell that Kuromaru was here, and realize he must have said something to her.

“Akamaru, we need to talk.” She says softly, and I got to sit by her obediently. “I heard you have been struggling with some Chakra movements.” I nod. “I am afraid I haven’t been fair to you. I made my disdain for ninken obvious, but you don’t have to hold back for me.” Oh no. She looks so sad, and she thinks it’s her fault. “It’s just… being a Ninken is not always…. Fun. I worry that all the young pups see is the flashy moves, and that they could be a hero, but they miss all the pain that comes along with it.” she lets out a bigger sigh. She sits beside me and we watch the sky.

“I had four littermates, of those, three were ninken in the third Shinobi war, and only one came back. They never even recovered the bodies of my two brothers. Too dangerous, and they were shredded. I was told it was better I remembered what they looked like before, didn’t let the bodies ruin that for me. The third came back without her partner, and that destroyed her. She didn’t eat or sleep, just stood by his gravestone until she went to meet him too. She didn’t even look at me, even when I begged her to eat, to stay for me.” If she were human she would probably be crying. As it is, each syllable has a slight whine to the end of it, coming from deep within her throat, like she’s having to fight to get it out. 

“After that I grew to resent ninken, see them as foolish pups who threw their life away for something they didn’t understand. I lost two of my own flesh and blood, dying so far from home in that war, and I don’t even know why we were fighting there in the first place.” these words are laced with venom and anger. Her words echo sentiments I remember from my previous life, dying in a land they should have never been in at all, with only strangers around them. I think I remember something like that happening, but my memories are fuzzy and I cannot remember if it happened to someone close to me, in a movie or in a book. 

She turns now to look at me, and I meet her eyes. I can see a bit of desperation in them. “Kuromaru says I need to tell you I am Ok with this, but I’m not. I just. I don’t understand. Why do you want to do this? Do you feel forced? You don’t have to! I promise, if you say you want to back out now, not even Kuromaru will be able to take you from me! Please, just tell me why you are doing this!”

I pause. “I… I want to protect people.” 

“Protect who?”

“Kiba, and… the other kids I guess.”

“Kiba can have another companion, or two or three. He’ll be safe. You don’t need to do that! Besides, he doesn’t need protection, we’re entering peacetime. My poor brothers fought and died for that.” She says, shaking her head. My mother was usually so serene, but I can hear her voice breaking, and her voice rises with each word.

“It won’t… be like that… forever” I say, trying to choose my words carefully, “And, I just know that I have to be the one to do it. To protect Kiba.” It does have to be me, but I can’t exactly say that I am actually from an alternate universe and have knowledge of the future. She just looks at me. She’s breathing hard, and trembling, as if she had just run laps around the compound. She’s scanning my eyes for something, and I try to look as confident as I can, despite the fact that I still feel very lost and confused. 

“Fine. fine. Just, don’t ever leave without saying goodbye.” with that she leaves me alone to stare at the stars.


	12. I am left on my own for all of 2 minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our main character makes a fool of themselves and then makes a friend

The next morning, when Kenta comes to pick me up for training he asks if I had an eventful afternoon off, and I just grunt. Kuromaru made my mother drag up all those painful memories, hoping she was the reason my Chakra wasn’t moving right. But it wasn’t. All of that was for nothing, and although some small part of me knows it’s unreasonable, I resent him for it. The closer we get to the training field the more angry I become, and it even gets to the point where Kenta seems nervous around me.

Kuromaru is sitting there waiting, in the very center of the field. “Are you going to take this seriously now, runt?” he says, and I see red. I know it’s stupid, but I charge straight at him, screaming, and he flings me away with one paw. 

“Have you forgotten everything I told you?” he says as I pick myself up. “You’re weak, slow and dumb, I’m stronger than you, faster than you, and smarter than you, I’ve been fighting longer than you’ve been alive.” The last part was a growl, that would have been hard to hear if I wasn’t already charging him again. This time it was his tail that sent me backwards, and I land rolling, but at least this time on my feet.

“What, are you mad I hurt your mother’s feelings? Well runt, listen up, there’s a lot more on the line then feelings,” he sneers, “Like lives, and if you don’t get a hold of those feelings, it will be your’s and Kiba’s, and I’m not letting that happen!” this time when I get close he pins me with one massive paw and just holds me there as I struggle. I try to get out, or to scratch at his leg, but every time I do he presses just a little bit harder. He leans down to growl into my ear.

“Now then, you have a week to figure your shit out. Unless you are serious about being a ninken do not ever let me see you again. I have better things to do than waste my time on a runt.” With one last press he turns and leaves me panting in the middle of the field. 

I stare into the sky thinking. Of course I am going to be Kiba’s ninken, I’m Akamaru! That’s his dog. I know that, just like I know everything else that is going to happen. But what mother said rattled me. Would I be shredded, turned to pieces like her siblings? Akamaru and Kiba weren’t really main characters, I only know of a couple of their missions. What if I mess up on one that wasn’t in the manga? What if I’m just not brave enough? So many of the Ninken seem fearless, and that just isn’t me. I always assumed that I would do this because I wanted to help children in my previous life, but as a lawyer, that’s way safer than being a ninken. I never even stopped to think about whether I could handle something like this? Could I kill? I couldn’t even step on a bug in my previous life. Akamaru, the real one, wouldn’t have that problem. What if not knowing what came next is what got him through? That he wouldn’t know ahead of time how outclassed he was going to be by people like Gaara and Madara. I was beginning to enter a full blown panic attack and quickly rolled over to dig furiously in the dirt. That silly habit of mine had become the only way I could calm down to think rationally. 

“Yoohoo~!” a voice calls out and I lift my head. It was the dog from the night of the trial. The one that reminded me of Anko. “What are you doing my dear?” she says, cocking her head. I don’t respond, I’m not sure that I can open my mouth without breaking down. 

“Ohhh… a shy one. Well let me guess. You’re obviously worried, and is that fear I smell?” she sniffs the air humming to herself. “Yes, I think you’re very afraid, now what’s a little tiny puppy like you got to be afraid of?” she says, once again in a sing songy voice that is beginning to grate on my nerves. I dig deeper and faster to try to ignore her.

“OH! I know, you’re Kuromaru’s little pet project. Is that what it is? Worried about training?” She sees my shoulders stiffen and even without looking I can hear the smile in her voice. “Well, I can help with whatever it is, I am a very good teacher, you know.” this makes my ears perk up. Something about her makes me feel antsy, but she’s pack, right? So it should be safe. 

“Ah, that got your attention, good. Now tell me, what exactly is he frustrated with this time?” she says as I turn to finally get a good look at her. She is lean, not quite a greyhound body shape but close, with grey a grey topcoat, flecked with black spots, and a white belly. Running across her back are three parallel scars, but they seem old, already healed over, and I can see more heal scared now that she is close. They zigzag her legs and muzzle, most of them are just areas where the fur grows funny, or where there is no fur at all. She has clear blue eyes, clever but hard to read. 

“I am Akira, but you can call me senpai! We are going to have so much fun together! Oh I have been looking forward to this!” she tries to approach but I recoil.

“Wait, first I need to know how you plan on helping.” I say, trying to sound firm.

“Oh but of course! Silly me! Well, I bet Kuromaru has given you that “I’m strong, you’re weak” speech hasn’t he? Oh I can see from your little face he has. Well he gave the same one to me, and I really did take it to heart. See I am a very special Ninken…” she puffs up with pride “My partner and I, among other things, lay traps, and I am very, very good at it! The best!” 

“And…?”

“A little cheeky aren’t we, I see you don’t believe me. Oh well. Anyways, if you can trap your opponent, and trick them, it’s much easier to take them down. Worst comes to worst, you can slow them down, allowing you and your partner to run to safety!” 

“How exactly does a dog do something like set up a trap?” I feel myself growing less suspicious and more interested as she speaks.

“Oh, well that’s easy. For starters, we can dig holes. I see you’ve done a very good job of digging this hole. Now Imagine, you’re in the field, in hostile territory…” Her voice gets low and dramatic, “Your partner is injured, but you’ve managed to drag them to what you think is a safe spot. How are you going to keep them safe? Keeping watch day and night will render you about as useful as a paper Kunai within two days. But say you’ve surrounded your little hideout with holes you dug, nice and deep, and then covered with leaves and branches. Let’s say you got even sneakier and threw some odds and ends down there, maybe something that could attract one of those giant centipedes these forests are known for? Everyone laughs, there’s no way a Jonin would fall for such an obvious ploy, and most Chunin would see it a mile off, they tell me.” She huffs, and I can tell she is remember a particular incident or two.

Then she leans in, and with a low, conspiratory voice tells me “But everyone gets tired in the field. Gets tunnel vision. And sometimes they slip up. Humans always manage to let their guard down at the worst time. We have to protect our humans from this, and take full advantage of it in the enemies.” Suddenly her demeanor changes entirely, and she sits back on her haunches, humming cheerfully at me. 

“Well, I guess that does sound useful…” I muse, and she immediately squeals. 

We spend the rest of the day having me dig holes and drag branches and leaves over to cover them, with her frequently giving pointers about how to make it less obvious, how to get a natural-looking snow cover, or how to tell if it is strong enough to hold my weight but still break under a ninja’s. She tells me of some of her favorite missions, and the best bait for attracting different kinds of lethal wildlife into the pits. Centipedes seem to be her favorite for whatever reason. That’s how we spend the next few days, before she moves on to how to pick a good campsite, and the best ways to drag an unconscious ninja. She even points out a couple of common herbs that can be used as makeshift bandages or painkillers, although she admits that the taste is bitter, and our teeth aren’t exactly the best for chewing them up to make salves like a human might. My apprehensions about her quickly disappear as I throw myself into the work. I feel more confident about what I need to do, especially the forest of death. I chuckle when I think of Akira taking on the little Chunin hopefuls, and then shudder.


	13. If I spent this time working on my thesis I would be done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> College sucks man. But here's a new chapter. JK. I love my college, I'm just lazy, and this is just the lyrics to carameldansen. JK. It is a chapter.
> 
> please keep in mind this is not supposed to be a dark and serious fic. It's not like... crackfic either. I take the fic more seriously than the titles or summaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College sucks man. But here's a new chapter. JK. I love my college, I'm just lazy, and this is just the lyrics to carameldansen. JK. It is a chapter.
> 
> please keep in mind this is not supposed to be a dark and serious fic. It's not like... crackfic either. I take the fic more seriously than the titles or summaries.
> 
> Also, big thanks to DianQ, who bookmarked it, Diclonius29 who bookmarked this and left kudos, YoItsNotWhatYouThink, Taeragucci, eruditecupid, Cursedblood, Shis23 and all of the guests, for their Kudos and Brithewolfpup who gave me my very first (named) Kudo! thanks yall, feels nice to know you're enjoying this.

The last night of my training with Akira, we meet at the edge of the compound. When I arrive she is already there, and greets me cheerfully. I respond in kind. 

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” I call, because it is. There’s a thin dusting of snow, and while it is somewhat chilly, it hasn’t gotten that cold yet. 

“Yes, it really is. Now then pup, do you know where this goes?” and with that she gestures to a small slat in the walls of the compounds that has been wiggled slightly out of place. I shake my head. “It’s ok, I figured as much. This leads into training ground 44, otherwise known as the forest of death!” I can tell she is trying to scare me and laugh, she takes in a dramatic, offended, breath before sighing, like some wealthy old lady. “Are you laughing? Oh no, this is a serious endeavor!” she says in a fake voice, shriller and more nasally than her usual, before breaking into fits of giggles. I have to say, she might be my first friend in this world. 

“Anyways, follow me! I know you’re probably freaking out about your evaluations tomorrow-” eyebrow waggle “and I know just the thing to calm you down!” with that she pushes the slat aside and walks in, with me close behind.

I know I should be afraid, and if I were a human I would be. But as a dog, the forest is not so creepy. While my vision isn’t great, I can hear and smell the forest well enough that it’s almost like seeing it. Besides, Akira seems perfectly comfortable, saying most of the bugs die off in the winter and promised we wouldn’t be going too far, to where it was dangerous. She actually bemoaned that part, saying Kuromaru would kill her if she took me past the river that apparently shields the village from the worst of the creepy crawlies in the forest. Instead, I admire the way what little light that does reach the forest floor outlines everything in silver, and the smell of the giant trees. It smells clean and beautiful here, pristine. The only footprints in the snow are our own. 

Suddenly she stops and I almost run into her. She turns to me. “Weeeeee’re heeeeeeeere!” she says, and I look around. Peaking out of the snow are small plants that look almost like mint, with light blue blooms. They’re maybe an inch tall but cover most of the ground in this one section. Growing among them are small mushrooms of some kind. It’s nice enough but I don’t exactly understand why we are here. Suddenly she drops and begins rolling around in the plants. The flowers and mushrooms let out a mix of pollen and spores that has me sneezing. 

“Come on in, the water’s fine!” she jokes before pulling me down. I don’t know why but I do. I flop over and begin rolling too. I feel happier than I ever have, and I can’t stop laughing. I feel light and tingly, not even the cold of the snow bothers me. We stay, playing in that little clearing all night, as she explains that this is one of the few places where both plants grow, and that it takes both to gain this euphoria. Unfortunately, we build up a tolerance quickly. I realized that. While I couldn’t stop giggling like mad and could barely walk, she was just a little slower than usual, with a slur in her voice and a few giggles here and there.

“I just thoooooooought it would kill two birds, with... one stone, y’know. Stone. You, you gotta, you gotta build up your tolerance, so it can’t be used against you, aaaaand, you get to calm down before your meeting with big bad Kuromaru!” she lets out a little giggle and mutters something about him I can’t quite hear before laughing again. 

“Akira, I think you’re my best friend” I tell her.

“That’s kind of sad, best friend is the town fool” she replies

“Noooooooooo…. No.... I’m serious. You’re so cool. You’re, you’re a Bad ass Mother Fucker and this is the best.” 

“Ok now I know I need to get you back, you’ve definitely had too much. She picks me up and hoists me on her back and then takes off back near the village. I tell her about all of my siblings, then my mother, then all of the bugs I saw today. Then I ranked all of the bugs, then I compared the bugs to all of the dogs I knew around the compound. She was of course, a Hercules beetle because she was the coolest, and Kuromaru got to be a flea, because he annoyed me. She finally dropped me off just as I could see the beginning of the sunrise.

“Good luck pup” she says before sauntering away. I salute her and then take off towards Kuromaru.

When he sees me, he immediately tells me to gather my chakra in my abdomen, which I do, and then push it out to the pads of my paws. It’s easier than before, but I still suck. He lets out a sigh of exasperation and I stop him.

“It’s not because I’m not serious about being a ninken!” I shout and he seems affronted that I would raise my voice at him, but I’m still feeling the effects of the forest. I don’t care.

“What is it then?” he growls. If I were in my right state of mind I would be peeing myself. But I’m not. 

“Weeeeeelll… I got another secret….” and I lean in, “ I. Know. the. Future! And the Past! I know everything! I even know that Hana is gonna be a vet, and that Kiba is going to be a ninja, and go to classes with Naruto, you know Naruto right? He has the Ninetails sealed in him! Minato was really smart sometimes but really dumb most of the time. Like everyone hates Naruto now, and that’s really sad because he’s so nice, but it’s ok because I’ll make sure I’m there for him, and then he gets super powerful because he is Indra, but like reincarnated, which also means he is Harashima, and he’s gonna be the Hokage, and beat the shit out of Madara and that rabbit moon lady, it’s going to be so fucking cool. But first me and Kiba we gotta help him fight this guy, he’s actually two guys, and he’s a member of the sound four, they’re Orochimaru’s henchmen, and Orochimaru is there cause he wants to steal sasuke because he wants the Sharingan and Itachi kills all the other Uchiha but himself and Sasuke cause dumb old Danzo that’s why. Fuck that noise. Itachi is cool. I wish I were reborn as his crow. I mean Kiba is cool too, don’t get me wrong, but like. Itachi. Wow…” I keep on rambling and I can see Kuromaru’s one good eye grow wider and wider, until I see the entire world moving, and realize I’m falling.

I’m out cold before I hit the ground.


	14. A breath of Fresh air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the truth comes out.

I wake up to the sound of a door opening and a low rumbling conversation between two dogs. I try to roll back asleep but my mouth is dry and I have a strange headache like there’s cotton behind my eyes. I also desperately need to pee. When I try to get up my legs feel like wood, and I let out a groan. Then I open my eyes. 

Oh.   
Shit. 

Kenta and Kuromaru turn towards me, with grim expressions, and bits and pieces of yesterday return to me. I go rigid waiting for what happens next, holding my breath. For a few heartbeats we size each other up before Kenta sighs. 

“How are you feeling, Runt?” he says, but not in the same joking tone I am used to. I can see Kuromaru disapproves of this question, but doesn’t say anything.

“I’m fine,” I mutter weakly.

“I really don’t think the best way to start this conversation is with a lie,” he says, and I wince. I was hoping maybe they would let it drop. Think I was just high out of my mind. He sees my expression change, and seems to read my mind, “No, you’re not off the hook yet. Let’s get you something to drink first though.” and with that he turns around and leaves me alone with Kuromaru.

For all the training I’ve done with Kuromaru, I’ve never noticed how scary he really is. He almost always used someone else for the fights, or the chases so that he could watch me and bark out orders. Now though, I can see all the muscles under his fur, and the wicked scars that run up and down his sides. The one over his eyes and snout especially. He’s what I imagine that first proctor from the Chunin exam would look like as a dog. And now he is staring me down. I gulp and look at my paws.

“I get you’re a Runt, but do you really think if we were going to torture you this is how we would start?” he finally says. I just stare at my paws harder. What am I even supposed to do in this situation?

Kenta returns with something that smells wonderful, and a young ninja behind him carrying water. I recognize her as one of the veterinary students, she pours out the water and coos about how poor little me got caught in the ******* bushes, and then gently ruffles my fur, before Kuromaru makes a noise that is the dog equivalent of clearing his throat and she looks at him before scurrying away.

Kenta nudges the food towards me and after a little more prodding, I begin to eat. I try to eat slowly to drag out the time before I have to talk, but I am too hungry. When I finish I look up and wait for the inevitable.

“Hana just informed her mother that she was thinking about studying to be a medic and vet…” Kenta says, faux-idly. Kuromaru shoots him a look.

“This is neither the time nor the place for delicacies. Runt. What did you mean last night.” 

I try to open my mouth while thinking of an explanation. 

“I can smell that you want to tell me a lie. Don’t.” I shut my mouth. Damn it. 

Kenta steps in, “what if I tell you what I remember and you correct me if I’m wrong?” he says gently. I don’t even respond before he continues. “You came to us under the influence of a powerful hallucinogenic, and you told us that your problem with Chakra wasn’t because you were afraid, but because you had a secret…” That sort of sounded familiar, so I nodded, mute.

“Then you said that your secret was that you knew what was going to happen, along with many things that already happened that you should not know. You made some very serious accusations against Danzo-sama and Itachi,” that’s weird, that’s the first time I’ve heard an honorific here, wait. That’s not the point. It’s funny how your mind latches onto something so unimportant in the midsts of a life changing event. “...and said that we were going to be attacked by Orochimaru, that this would place Kiba in harm's way.” I can hear a rising panic in his voice, but he tries to remain calm and level. Kuromaru’s ears flick back further with every detail. I nod again.

“Can you tell me more about that, please?” he pleads. I try to swallow the lump in my throat.

“I… uh… I remember how I died…. The last time, I mean, like my previous life…” I am already messing it up! But with every word it gets a little easier. “I was pretty young, I think. But not like a kid young. We, we didn’t really grow up as fast there as here. 12 year olds are ninja here! But uh, yeah. So, I was there, and well growing up I read this story. It was a comic book, but also a TV show… called Naruto.” I swallow, here comes the hard part. “It’s about… Naruto after he graduates from the academy, but really it’s got so many other people’s stories in it too, and I guess basically he struggles so much against all his pain and loneliness, and befriends Sasuke Uchiha, but then Sasuke leaves because he wants to get revenge… on his brother… but none of them understand the true story… which is that his brother is manipulated by this guy named Danzo, and another one named Otobio… but they’re all being manipulated too... and it all leads to this Rabbit goddess… I think her name was Kayuga? ... getting released.” I see their faces and quickly add “But they win, and there’s sort of kind of a peace? I don’t know… I didn’t really watch the sequel at all.” I can see Kenta taking a breath to respond, but Kuromaru is unreadable.

“But then I came here, and it’s not just a story, you’re all real, and Kiba is real and Naruto is real, and that’s really hard because I know from the story that a lot of people are in pain, and there is going to be a lot more pain before this is over, so I wanted to try to become a Ninken and get close to everyone and try to help them all be happier, because they’re so real and I cried at the books, so imagine how much worse it would be to know that someone is actually going through all of that?” I say quickly, and end up out of breath.

Kenta tells me to wait there, and then he and Kuromaru go outside. They talk, for a long time. Another dog comes by and escorts me to the kennels where I can eat, before bringing me back to my room, which I realize is in Tsume’s house. From the looks of it, the room I am in might be Kuromaru’s. It’s sparse, but smells like him, with a bed in the corner, and a small collection of items, a few photos on the wall, some well chewed bones, and a… wind chime? I assumed I was in some sort of holding cell, but this obviously isn’t one. I begin to pace it and examine all of the items in the room. I’m not… bored… per say, but I just want this to be over.

The photos are of a much smaller Kuromaru and Tsume with their Genin squad, what looked like an Akimichi, with brown hair and two x like marks on his cheeks, and a lean young man with bright red hair. I didn’t recognize either of them. The next few photos were of Kuromaru, Tsume and some of the other Inuzukas. The very last photo was a picture of him and… my mother…? No… the eyes weren’t quite right, but the dog definitely looked like her. She looked young in that photo, and stood puffed up beside him. In the photo he almost seemed amused. I found myself curious about them, and the connection to my mother. It’s weird, I always felt so distant from my family because of my knowledge, like they existed in a separate world from me, but some part of me really does see them as family. I do, don’t I?

That’s when Kuromaru and Kenta return. I spin around, embarrassed, as if I had been caught looking at something I shouldn’t have. For a moment, I forget how afraid I am. 

“Listen. This is all a little...much… to believe, you understand, right?” Kenta says, apologetically. I nod. I wouldn’t believe me either. “You know about Naruto, which is odd for a pup, but maybe you could have picked that up somewhere…” he sighs.

“We need proof, pup,” Kuromaru cuts in, “Something that’s going to happen, that you couldn’t possibly know unless you are telling the truth.” I think this over. There are a lot of things I know about people’s pasts, but how to prove them? I can’t exactly break into the Akatsuki hideout and bring them back Otobio. 

Oh, wait, of course. 

“Around Hinata Hyuuga’s third birthday, Kumo will send a delegation, saying they want a peace treaty. They are going to kidnap her, and demand her father for ransom… they want his eyes…” I shutter at this, there’s way too much eyeball stealing in this universe. “But the Hyuuga send his younger twin brother instead, because he has the curse seal… and then, they… you know… activate it and kill him.” I swallow. That’s inconceivable to the part of me with morals and beliefs from my past life.

“That’s still a while off…” Kenta says.

“I know but I’m not sure what else to say, I don’t know everything that happens, just what made it into the story…” I say.

Kenta and Kuromaru look at each other, then back at me, expectantly. “Well…” I continue, “that really messes up his son, Neji, who is a genius, and he nearly kills Hinata later. I get why though. It was one of the things I was hoping to change, but I haven’t been able to figure out how yet…” I finish lamely, and shuffle around a bit. Now I am not so much afraid as ashamed, but I’m not sure why…

“You’re just a pup, I’m not sure there’s anything you could do.” Kenta says, and I’m not sure if it’s condescending or comforting to hear.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone before?” Kuromaru interjects. I balk for a minute, trying to figure out how to word this.

“I thought that at best, you would have thought I was crazy, and kept me from Kiba and everyone else, and at worst… I dunno… T and I?” Kenta nods at this, and his tail starts thumping against the floor.

“Well, I guess we better come up with a plan then?” He says, and crack a very small grin. Kuromaru sighs in exasperation but doesn’t contradict him.

I feel hopeful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was pretty much always going to happen. I didn't want a dark fic where everything goes wrong, but to make it one where everything goes right my options were to overpower Kiba and Akamaru or do this. I hope you enjoy this little twist, where the MC gets help right from the start! also! thank you for all of the Kudos and bookmarks, feel free to leave a comment too, I do love those!


	15. My Thesis is done, but my finals are not!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension, Training and tension headaches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! thanks to everyone reading this. I tried to focus more on setting the scene and world building. I am afraid my writing style has been affected by my college classes and it's all no nonsense, no prose. not great. Anyways, some special thanks to30Ying98, MoonWolf8945, XxYaoiFreakxX, shupahjazy, Jackrabbitlover9915, Arkfall21, trashk1ng, Diclonius29, YukiYuiYuu for Kudos and bookmarks, and to SnowyWee for my first ever comment! thank you so much!
> 
> any feedback or comments appreciated!

I am staying with Kuromaru now, I am informed. That evening he brings me to Tsume, and begins to talk to her. 

“Akamaru and Kiba need ******, and ********* ********* **********. Akamaru will ***** ****** with me.” Kuromaru says, with a measured, even tone. Tsume looks annoyed, like she knows something is up, but not what. She purses her lips and looks in between him and I. I of course, have no poker face. She questions him, and he responds with more of an edge in his voice. Can he really talk to her this way? I am very unsure of myself right now, and fidget uncomfortable. Kenta isn’t even here to reassure me. Granted, I doubt he could do much against either of them, but he could at least distract me, there wasn’t much in this room to entertain me while they talked. 

The room we are in is very plain, with a small closet for storing Futons, slightly ajar, with the futons hasily shoved in, and another full of clothing. In the corner is a small desk overflowing with messy paperwork, and a trash bin that’s overflowing with crumpled, and sometimes burned papers. There are plenty of windows and screen doors, and the noises and smells of the outside world drift in. Compared to the few other rooms I have seen inside the compound, the desk is the only interesting part. Other than that, the Inuzukas tend not to spend time indoors, so all the houses are as small as possible, a few bedrooms and a kitchen. The Inuzukas don’t really appear to be concerned with status either. The clan leader’s house doesn’t appear to be any bigger than any of the others. It’s functional, sparse, and made only of durable things, Inuzuka aren’t really good with breakables. I suddenly understand why Hinata wasn’t at the party. This must be the exact opposite of the Hyuuga family. 

I shudder, glad I wasn’t reincarnated into one of them. 

They both glance over at me, and I avert my gaze. Kuromaru quickly returns to talking to Tsume but she lets her eyes linger a little longer. I continue thinking about how much it would suck to be a Hyuuga, and soon the conversation is over. Tsume is still looking annoyed, but more… resigned, and Kuromaru looks like he swallowed something bitter. He motions to me and we leave the room together, solemnly.

After a while he says, still facing forward, “Look, Pup, you may be that kid’s partner, but that doesn’t mean you tell them everything. Sometimes it hurts them less to keep a secret.” I nod. I have a feeling he didn’t tell her much. I doubt I would be telling Kiba much of anything any time soon.

He continues, and even accelerates my training. I am better able to push Chakra to my limbs, but still not nearly as great as I am at contracting it. Kenta lazily throws around the idea that it’s because I’m not from here, and some part of me still doesn’t believe it, or think it’s real. He uses that as an excuse to run me ragged, saying I just need to feel how real it is. But I am making progress. I can flare my chakra now, which he says is the most important skill I can have as a pup, the ability to grab someone’s attention. Even without Chakra, I can run and jump through all the agility drills he and Kuromaru devise without collapsing at the end of them like I did before. I still can’t keep up with them, unless I use Chakra and they don’t, because they are so much larger than me, but I can definitely keep up with a toddler.

I do begin and end my mornings with Kiba, who continues to point at objects and demand I fetch them, although he’s gotten more Mischievous. Now he demands things like his sister’s Kunai, or Father’s paintbrush. I try to see it as a stealth mission, although I only really succeed when the triplets aren’t around. The interesting thing is that Kiba’s father doesn’t have a partner. Even non-ninja members of the clan have a partner, and his father is definitely a ninja. He has some old scars, and that quiet way of moving, and always scanning the room. He also doesn’t have that same feel as the Inuzuka. Sure, he’s not dumb around us, but I don’t really connect with him the way I do everyone else on the compound. He must be someone who married into the clan. 

Another mystery to add to my collection, I guess. Not that I am making headway with Kuromaru’s photos. I haven’t been in his room since that day. I sleep right next to Kiba at night, in his small room. It has a few more decorations than the master bedroom, a crib Kiba will be growing out of soon, a lot of stuffed animals, and a few books. We have to keep reminding him that he can’t leave these toys outside like he does with his building blocks or toy figures. He doesn’t really listen so I have to fetch them at the end of the day, usually, and put them in the small pile in the corner of his room. There are also a few drawings hung up in his room, of him and his family, of the dogs he sees, or the other kids. They’re actually a lot better than I thought they would be. The kid’s got a good eye, and a surprisingly steady hand for a toddler. Sometimes I even draw with him, although it’s much harder to see what you’re doing with a crayon in your mouth than in your hand. 

Kuromaru approves of this, of course. My time is so busy that there’s not a second to myself. He says I need to bond with Kiba until I can feel everything he does without even looking, and his chakra is as familiar as my own. Apparently that’s the secret of our Jutsus, being so familiar with each other’s Chakras allows us to cycle chakra between each other about as effectively as a medic nin to their patient. This, I learned, actually makes it harder for Inuzuka to become medics, but easier to treat by medics. They aren’t used to resistance when they give someone a chakra infusion, but they resist a lot less than the average ninja. Or at least their networks do, the Ninja themselves go crazy after about 30 seconds in a room full of the smell of antiseptics and no fresh air, or so I’ve been told. Anyways, It raises a problem for me, if I am not able to exchange my Chakra with Kiba’s, hence all the focus on flaring my Chakra.

I get to spend my time flaring my chakra, and running around chasing Kenta or whatever other ninken Kuromaru picked for me, occasionally hanging out with Kiba, throughout the winter and spring, until mid-summer, and Kiba’s second birthday.

Kiba’s birthday gives me a break of course. Once again, the party is not particularly about Kiba, it’s more of just an excuse for all of the adults to gather and talk while the kids play together. Kiba, strangely enough, is more reserved this year, and stays close to me and his sister. The Ino-Shaki-Cho trio is here, along with an assortment of Inuzuka children and their dogs. He refuses to let us out of his sight and I start to wonder if he is overwhelmed by the large crowd. Hana seems to be ok with this, and lets him sit on her lap while she talks to some of the other kids her age. I think they are talking about the academy. I have been building up my vocabulary, and the children seem to talk slower than the adults. They’re easier to understand, thankfully, because this language learning thing is a pain. Is it because of the dog brain? 

I feel like I remember being good with languages in my past life. I think i remember a few snippets of languages. Basking in the sunlight, nothing better to do, I try harder to remember. I see a quick flash of being at a table… in a library? With someone… and we are laughing and saying something, a word that doesn’t quite fit on my tongue, then more laughing. I am saying the word wrong. The person is hunched over trying to muffle their laughter. When they finally raise their head it is blank, and suddenly I feel like I’ve been kicked in the head by a horse. I wince and let out a whine. 

The kids turn to me and Kiba hands me to Hana. she prods me but I am in too much pain to really respond. All I can do is squeeze my eyes shut and scrunch up my face. I can hear her say something, and then feel myself being carried, with Kiba right next to me, asking about me. She’s weaving through the crowds, calling out for her mother, with Kiba right behind, doing the same, but more panicked. She runs somewhere, and I sense her dad, Kiba starts wailing at him and I open one eye. Kiba has thrown himself into his father’s leg and is crying about something, but it’s muffled. The father, (have I really not learned his name?) Turns to Hana, who says something about needing to find her mother. He sighs and picks me up, before turning to face the crowd. Now all three of them are searching, and it isn’t long before they find Tsume.

She takes one look at me and grabs me out of her husband’s hands, before grabbing a bewildered young man and shoving me into his hands. All of this shoving is not doing me much good and I let out another groan. I can hear Kuromaru trying to talk to me, but at this point, the headache is so bad it feels like everyone’s underwater. I can feel a little bit of Chakra seep into my system, and it soothes the headache a little. Then another prod of chakra around my eyes. They talk more. I can feel that Kiba and Hana have been moved away from me. They sound worried. Another Chakra prod and I fall asleep.


	16. A reminder of the plot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Debating the logistics of this mission. Mentioning a new character, and introducing an old one.

When I wake up, Kuromaru is right there, watching. Still groggy, I make an undignified noise that I hope he realizes is a question.

“What happened?” he said quietly, and I can slowly sense the smells around us, antiseptic and metal, as well as many more dogs round us, sick. I must be in the hospital. I try to remember what happened and wince as a headache hits me. I vaguely remember Kiba’s party.Then something, what was it. I remember hands, and someone, I wince again. Kuromaru lets out a sharper bark, and I hear shuffling, other dogs. I am back to reality. 

“I… think I was remembering something of my past, my life before this one.” I whisper, hoping that I won’t wake up the other dogs. “It wasn’t just a fact, it was a real memory, of being with someone I knew… and then the headaches started.” I finish and look up at him.

“They’re worried about you. No one knows what caused your headache, and Tsume is considering finding Kiba a new partner. They can’t have a dog with an undiagnosed health problem as the partner to one of the Heirs of the clan.” I can tell he is picking his words very carefully, and it’s unusual for him. “Have you ever had a headache like this before?” he says, and the mixture of softness and earnestness in his voice is more alarming than his usual barks.

I pause for a minute trying to remember, “No, I don’t think so.”

“If you ever have another headache, you have to tell me immediately.” His voice takes on it’s usual stern tone. I nod. He motions for me to follow and brings me to one of the kennels, where he orders me to eat. I suddenly realize how hungry I am, and scarf down any and everything put in front of me. As I eat, he begins to talk again, in a low voice.

“I’ve been looking into your situation, trying to contact summoning animals, we have a meeting, two weeks from now, with the summoning hounds. They are working with Kakashi Hatake. I believe he is important in the future?” I nod. This is good, I think. As a puppy, I won’t be able to do any grand gestures that save the day, but with Kuromaru and Kakashi’s pack, perhaps I can accomplish more. 

“Good. the boy is practically an Inuzuka anyways, we know him well. He will be a valuable ally, and one I think we shall need for this first obstacle, the Hyuuga. I need you to repeat everything you know about this.” I had forgotten, but that was coming up, wasn’t it? Hinata was roughly three when it happened. There wasn’t a lot of details for me to remember, as it was just mentioned during the Chunin exams.

“When Hinata is about three, there is a peace talk with Kumo, and one of the diplomats uses this opportunity to kidnap Hinata. In exchange for her, they demand her father, but the Hyuuga send his twin brother instead. They get Hinata back and activate the cursed seal on him, which kills him. It traumatizes his son, and leaves a rift in the family.” I think that’s it? He nods and mulls this over. 

“Do you know how he got in? Surely the safest place in the village is the Hyuuga compound? They have as many guards and nightwatch in their compound as entire districts on the outside have.” I jumped. Kenta had appeared behind me. He cocked his head and looked at me, waiting for an answer.

“No, I don’t…” I say, shuffling slightly in embarrassment.

“You don’t know how or when this happens. And the only consequences I see are that some boy is sad. Pup, I don’t mean to be harsh, but is this really a good use of your time? Isn’t the Uchiha Massacre more important? Besides, if we change too much now, maybe your information will be wrong when we need it.” He tries to sound kind but the words are so harsh. Kuromaru nods, solemnly.

“No… I mean, yeah I don’t know much, but… it’s not just that he’s sad… he gets so twisted up and full of hate and then he almost kills Hinata… before dying at 15. I just… I can’t imagine letting a poor kid go through that.” Kenta tries to look sympathetic but I know it hasn’t swayed him or Kuromaru at all. They’re Ninken, with hardened hearts, and I come from a place where this kind of violence is unimaginable. Sure, I knew there were child soldiers in some parts of the world, but so far removed from me. Children fighting to the death? Espionage and murder everywhere you look? Unimaginable to me. I always hated the trolley problem. I can feel my eyes burning and if I were human I would almost certainly be crying. I always did cry to easily as a human. How could I convince them? There had to be a way. I took a couple deep breaths before it hit me.

“It also affects Hinata. Neji, blinded by his feelings of betrayal and anger, excels at the Byakugan. Her father is jealous, and also afraid of losing her again, so he cows her into being afraid and hesitant. He micromanages her training and she never lives up to it because she needs to develop her own style. She has no self esteem, and to be honest, is a pretty bad ninja for many years because of it. Maybe if we help, her father won’t be so hard on her, and Kiba will have a better teammate...?” I trail off and look up at them. Kuromaru seems to be mulling it over. Kenta still seems sure that we shouldn’t get involved.

“I need to think this over. Stay here and rest.” With that, Kuromaru turns and walks out. Kenta gives me one last apologetic look and then follows. 

Emotions and thoughts are still swirling around in my head, so I take to pacing around the room.  _ If I have to do it on my own I will! _ I think bitterly, although I have no idea how. I pace trying to remember something, anything more about how this happens or when. That’s when I heard a thump, and the door slid open, letting Akira in.

“Hey, long time no see!” she says cheerfully, but the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took a while. anyways happy 2020 can't believe im writing this fanfic in the year of our lord 2020! anyways, any advice or comments would help a ton!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akamaru is not given a moment of rest.

“Oh, hey, it has been a while, hasn’t it?” I say, and try to sound cheerful but I know it comes out weaker than I wanted. She comes over and gives me a once over.

“Kuromaru told me to watch over you, after that whole headache shebang. Don’t really know why he picked me, but whatever.” She said, after finding whatever she looked for. I felt guilty, It’s been a long time since we had spent time with each other, besides a passing greeting.

“Probably because we are friends.” I say, and she gives me another sharp look. I think I hit a nerve there. “Aren’t we?” Oh. No. that was not the right thing to say.

“Are we though?” she spat, and stalked over right into my face. I could feel her breath with every syllable. “Last I checked, friends hang out. They talk, tell each other what’s up with their lives!”

“I’m sorry, Kuromaru’s training doesn’t leave me any spare time!” I try to sound firm but there’s a whine at the end.

“Bull. Shit. Kuromaru has never. Ever. spent that much time raising one ninken. Not even the Hanamaru Triplets.” she says, and there’s venom in her eyes. I remember the first time I saw her she reminded me of Anko, and now I can remember why.

“I don’t know, maybe he thinks I need more work than them?”

“If you needed that much work why didn’t he just replace you. No. Every second he isn’t on a mission he is watching you like a goddamn hawk, and whenever he isn’t around, it’s his little sidekick Kenta.” with this she begins to pace.

“They won’t let me or Yuki or anyone see you, you know that? You’re always too busy, they say. You have practically no scent of your own, it’s all just Kenta and Kuromaru on you.” Yuki. I feel a pit in my stomach. I had forgotten about my siblings entirely, too caught up in training and the Hyuuga clan.

“I’m sorry.. I didn’t realize.” I say, but it barely comes out.

“And? I don’t care that you’re sorry. I get it, you found something better to do than hang out with little old me. Trust me, that’s nothing new. I just want to know why.” at the last part she starts to get quieter, which somehow makes this worse. Something’s upsetting her far more than just me, and I can feel it.

“I.. I… can’t really explain it… it’s complicated…” she lets out a derisive snort and the clicking of her nails against the wooden floor suddenly sounds more menacing.

“That’s the best you can do? It’s complicated? What next? It’s not you it’s me?” I wince.

“It’s… I need Kuromaru’s help with something, but he told me not to really discuss it with anyone else…” I shift my weight from one side to another uncomfortably. There’s too much going on right now, with Akira and the Hyuugas and Kuromaru not wanting to help.

“If you needed help, why didn’t you come to me first?” she says, although not as hostile as before. I take this as a good sign, and take a breath, giving me time to think of a response. 

“You did… I don’t think you realize it, or meant for it to happen, but you really did help me.”

“Then why don’t you tell me what’s wrong so I can help you again?” she pleads.

“I…” and I have to think for a moment. Kuromaru had agreed with me that telling Tsume was a bad idea because she would definitely try something, and lacked the… subtlety to get very far, whereas the rest of the clans tended to underestimate exactly how clever the dogs could be. We agreed not to tell the humans, but another dog? Maybe that wasn’t so bad. Plus, if he was serious about not helping with the Hyuuga maybe I could use another partner. Akira was certainly a sneakier dog than most. I let out a whine. This was a big, irreversible decision. 

Then I hear a sigh. It’s Akira, and she is padding towards the door. “Those two are returning, and they won’t be happy to know I sneaked in. I better be off before they can lecture me. If you ever want to, I’m stuck in the compound so I should be easy to find.” with that, she leaves.

Before I can even begin to process these events Kenta returns. He sniffs the air, and can definitely smell that Akira has been here, but decides not to comment. 

“Pup, I am sorry, but you really can’t save everyone, you know that right?” he says, and tries for a smile, but it’s forced. I turn away from him. I know it’s childish, sue me. He sighs again. “Look, I get that you think you understand this, but it’s all a story to you, ok, and it’s our actual lives, we’ve got to be a bit more cautious with this…” 

That raises my hackles. Sure, it was a story, but Kuromaru pretty much pounded it into me that this world was real. Literally. After all the training I had been through, and all the fights, he thought I was still taking this as a joke? Did he seriously still see me as a pup? I was a full grown adult before I…

There’s a flash of images in my head:  _ the road, the radio, the rhythm of a song that I knew I knew, that was on the tip of my tongue. What was it? What was it? A hand reaches out and turns the radio off right before it reaches the best part. I squawk, and there is a laugh in response before the hand turns the music back on. Why can’t I see the person’s face?  _

Then there is a piercing pain behind my eyes and I wobble over, before collapsing into a whimpering pile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do indeed have a beta. Will I actually send her these before I publish them? hmmmm... anyways, thank you so much to Knowall and cheesedanish for commenting. there are some like plot reasons why the MC is a dog. kind of. But mostly I just wanted to do a fix-it, of which there are many, that would stand out, but also where the main character wasn't just able to become a super powerful ninja, hence the doggo. I may have also been influenced by... and gosh I forget the name of it, but a really excellent fanfic where the person is reborn as Hana, and there's a ton of politics and Danzo. 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to Chip8024, IsadiahInDisguise, Arianna_Roze1999, tosca, and Lazurite7 for Kudos!
> 
> Sorry the chapters are usually short but honestly, I zone out for an hour or so and then there's a chapter and I have no idea where it came from or where it's going until my muse shows up again and is like... write this. I am vaguely not good at planning things, but then they all sort of come together at the end and I'm like... I am not clever enough to come up with this on my own but ok ghostly muse.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a painful reminder of the fact that Akamaru has family

This time, I am not asleep for very long, but the dreams I have are troubling. I wake up feeling anxious but cannot remember enough about them to know why. Kenta is somewhere nearby, I can smell him. I wobble over to him, dark spots swimming before my eyes. I nudge the sliding door open and greet him. He looks over at me.

“Look, we haven’t told Tsume what happened, but we need to know if you are up to the task of defending the kid. You can still help a lot even if you aren’t his partner, you know? You could stay and advise from here…” He trails off, seeing the look in my eyes. I shake my head. I know that I have to do this. I can see why they might think that but in the end there’s a sort of solid feeling that I have to do this, and while I spent most of my previous life anxious and overthinking everything, I know I have to do this. A headache rises up but I manage to push through it.

“If you are sure, then. All of the new pups are supposed to head out tomorrow with some of the senior dogs for additional training. I wish I could give you more time to recover but it might look suspicious, you have until sundown tonight to meet with them, they should be over by the shrine. You know where that is, right?” I nod. I know he is a good person, dog, whatever, but I can’t really bring myself to talk to him right now. Instead I turn and walk away curtly.

The shrine is on the edge of the compound, where it meets the Nara territory and disolves into woods. It’s old, and slightly banged up, as are most things in the compound, but well made. It’s on top of a small set of stone staircases, flanked by statues of dogs, one red and one blue. The shrine is made of a dark wood, with a large roof that seemed to dwarf the walls and doors, made of shoji with slightly lighter wood. Hanging from the eves were large woven ropes dyed red and purple. In front of it was a bottle of Sake, based on the smell, and a pair of small cups. I could hear water somewhere nearby. All and all it was a soothing place. 

As I arrive I see Akira and a few other dogs gathered around the shrine. She doesn’t look at me, but Yuki does. Before I know what’s happening I am hit with a million questions a minute from my sibling (twin? Are dogs all twins, I guess I had never thought about it). Between the questions were little comments about the rest of the family, and training, and how we never see each other. I wince at that. Part of me feels like I should have been spending more time with them, but I know that I have a role to play, and need to focus. 

_ “This doesn’t sound like you, ******, what every happened to blood runs thicker than water?”  _ I can hear a familiar voice echoing in my mind and wince as it brings about another round of headaches. Was that my name? And what does that mean? I bury that thought deep down as an older, scarred dog walks out of the forest and address us.

“Pup! Listen up because I am only going to say this once. I am Takahiro and I will be your leader for this. We are going into the forest to familiarize you with the terrain around the village. Knowing the landscape and fighting in familiar territory is a great advantage against enemy shinobi. Furthermore, as trackers, you will need to be able to focus on your quarry, instead of your surroundings, so it is important you familarize yourself with the sights, sounds and scents of this forest. Once they escape the forest, chance of retrieval drops. Am I clear?”

I hear a chorus of agreement but the headache throbbing behind my temple is making it hard to focus. I hear a note of concern from Yuki and make a dismissive noise. 

“Akira will be my assistant for this. If any of you get hurt, you are to report to her. Now then, we are leaving from here at sunrise, and will not be back for at least three days. Your families should be aware of this.” From then on he continues about the paths we will be taking and the specific exersizes, but I am too busy thinking about Akira and what to do. I don’t notice we are dismissed until Yuki prods me, and I follow.

Naturally, Yuki takes me back to the house where the rest of our family is staying. The rest of my siblings greet me with a great deal of excitement, but I do not see our mother. Yuki orders them to hush, and then turns to me.

“Dai and I are also training to be partnered with a ninja, although we aren’t as far along as you, I suppose.” Dai, who I barely remember nodded at me. He’s larger than all of us by a pretty large margin and is more muscular than either of us. I assumed we were all some kind of Japanese dog like an Akita but he seemed more like a pitbull around the head. 

A yip to my left had me turn towards… Nao, I think. “I’m learning to be one of the gateguards! It might not be as exciting as you guys, getting to see the world and travel, but I get the world brought to me through the traders!” She looked pleased with herself. I vaguely remembered that the guards were two chunin that weren’t Inuzuka when Naruto arrived, but maybe it was a shift thing?

Kouta shuffled uncomfortably before mumbling something about working with a biologist tracking animals. I was surprised for a moment, forgetting that there were things to do in this world beyond fighting, but recovered quickly and managed a few words about how that sounded very interesting. They all then looked expectantly at me.

I sighed internally and told them a little about my training and working with Kiba and Kuromaru, to which they had a million more questions, which I tried to answer, best I could, until I heard the door slide open behind me, and saw mother enter. She scanned us wearily, blinked, and then returned to me, mumbling a greeting, but I could hear her voice break slightly. I shuffled over and she buried herself in my shoulder, while I stood awkwardly. The voice in my head from before came back to admonish me for letting the poor dog worry, how that wasn’t like me at all. with it came the pulse of pain from my temple. 

My mother seemed to sense something was wrong, as she pulled back to scan my face. I gave her an off handed remark about being tired, and her eyes narrow. She knows it is more than that but what can I say? The rest of the evening is spent with Dai and Nao arguing over who has the better job, and then over who was the better tracker, before we all fell asleep exhausted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much Knowall and Brambleblues for comments and Kudos!
> 
> I am trying to add more action into this bit before we actually get to the action packed parts, and am excited for a few of the things I have planned. Of course that means I have to write them first! also I am sorry that the chapters tend to be short, but it's sort of just my writing style to make short ones, and hopefully I update enough that it's not so bad.


	19. You may have a little action, as a treat.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akamaru goes on a training trip, and has too much to think about.

The next morning Yuki pokes me awake gently before anyone else wakes up, there’s a soft blue light coming through, enough to see by. She gingerly tiptoes throughout the curled bodies of out siblings and our mother, before nudging the door open and walking over to the kennels where we might find something to eat. We eat in silence, and then turn towards the shine, falling in line with each other. Something about the mist in the air and the quiet early morning sunlight made it hard to break the science. When we came to the shrine, it seemed like everyone else felt the same. Despite the fact that we were usually a loud clan, no-one was speaking, instead, they gestured quietly, occasionally whispering. A pointed number of the looks were directed towards me. Yuki leans over and quietly explains that everyone is wondering about the pup that Kuromaru personally took under his wing. There were maybe eight of us, with Yuki and I being the youngest. Akira was already here, but settled far away from us. She sent us a glance before turning away sharply, and I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably. I need to fix this. 

My thoughts about Akira are interrupted by the arrival of Takahiro. He gives a brief introduction about the beginning of the hike: the route we were taking, and the plants he would going to be identifying on the way. He pauses for a beat, thinking, and then nods, before turning towards the forest. One by one we fall in line behind him, with Akira at the rear. As we walk through the forest, birds sing out warning songs. While I couldn’t understand them, per say, I could tell the shifts from a normal greeting song and the concerned ones when we approached, and I don’t think I could do that in my previous life.

But then again, what did I really know about my previous life? I knew I read a Manga called Naruto, and several others, because I knew the plot, as well as many other books and films. I knew some science, history and math. But I didn’t know how I felt about any of this. I assumed I liked Naruto, because I read it all, but who knows? I knew about all sorts of people, presidents and prime ministers, actors and other important people, but I don’t think I knew any of them. I didn’t know who my friends and family were and what they were like. I know I feel something powerful when I think about the word Family, and Friend. But no idea why. According to this random voice in my head, I didn’t even know myself! The more I think about it, the worse my headaches get, and I stumble over a root. Yuki is quick to right me before whispering “are you ok?” to which I could only nod. She shoots a look at me that says she doesn’t believe me, and I just turn away, unable to answer. I’m completely oblivious, I know the headaches had something to do with my memories, but it feels so weird to know there was so much I was missing. I need to figure this out eventually but I need to focus on this first.

Ahead, Takahiro stops and gestures at us to gather around him. He gestures to the stones, and informs us that because they are so round and smooth, we can assume this is a dried up stream. He then tells us how to use that to find water, and drones on about the uses of water in avoiding trackers, and how to try to get around these tricks. I can feel both Yuki and Akira’s gaze on me and my hackles rise unconsciously. I need to sort that out, I need to sort out my memories, and what to do with the Hyuuga. How much time do I have? The uncertainty of that is gnawing at me. I sigh and try to relax my shoulders. Takahiro makes a sharp turn and leads us down the creek bed, which is significantly rougher terrain that before, with several smaller drops. Focusing on the terrain helps distract me, like how the digging did before. I need to move to get those creative juices flowing, and hope that my subconscious can figure this out what to do. 

True to his word, Takahiro leads us to a riverbank, and starts telling us about the vantage points for an ambush along a river. According to him, for hunters and trackers, it’s not big powerful jutsus that get the job done, its endurance, and access to water. His lecture continues, but I am more focused on the feeling of the wet mud seeping through my paws, and the sound of the river. The feeling lulls me into a daydreaming state, and it isn’t long until we are dismissed to try to ford the river ourselves. It’s not particularly deep or fast moving, but the size of the river compared to us makes it daunting enough. A few pups lunge into the water and try doggy paddling but are swept downstream until Akira fishes them out. Takahiro doesn’t even lift a paw to help, and considering my current relationship with Akira I figure it is best to try avoiding being swept downriver. 

Shouldn’t there be a crossing somewhere where it is more shallow? Maybe I can cross there? With that in mind, I begin walking up and down the bank trying to judge the depths, am quickly reprimanded by Takahiro for wandering too far. My next thought is of course, waterwalking. I try to think back to how it was explained in the manga. I have to focus chakra on the pads of my paws, right? I try to feel my chakra, and pull it in easily enough. Then I try to direct it to my paws, and take a tentative step. I hold for a second and then begin falling through. It feels strange, like Jello. Shocked I push more chakra into my paws and I shoot up and back into the brush. Too much chakra then. I wince and get up before trying again, with much the same result. This time Yuki helps me up and asks what I am doing.

“I’m trying to water walk across.” I explain and she cocks her head questioningly. “You gather up your chakra along your feet and use it to stick to the water’s surface, but it’s hard getting the right amount.” She nods and then tries, similar to me. While her chakra doesn’t send her flying backwards, she nearly flips. The next time she tries both of her front paws, and has a little more success. Encouraged by her success she tries to move her back two feet into the water and is immediately submerged. I let out a slight chuckle at her face when she breaks the surface, and she shoots me a pout before climbing out. I am still chucking, and she rolls her eyes. 

“Have fun with that, I think I am going to figure something else out.” she says, and dashes down the riverbank. I turn back towards the river and continue trying to waterwalk, this time putting my first two paws down first. It’s slightly easier, in that I sink slower, and I no longer fly as far back. However, by my estimation, I am still sinking too fast to make it across. Try, try, again I suppose. Soon I am nearly exhausted. I really only have one shot at this. I grit my teeth and back up as far as I can. I sprint towards the river and make it a few feet, each explosive step launching me further until I can see the other side. 

In my excitement I land wrong, and am startled by the feeling of cold water rushing into my nose and mouth. I break the surface gasping before being submerged again. Panicked, I try to doggy paddle but am swept downstream faster than I thought this river could move. I try paddling towards the other side, before feeling someone clamp down on the ruff of my neck. I am pulled back to the riverbank, where I am deposited, hacking and coughing. 

“Nice try pup, but I haven’t seen too many able to get water walking within the first week of practice; first day is out of the question.” Takahiro laughs at me, more jovial than I had seen him before. It frustrates me. I need to get more powerful if I plan on doing anything to help. Currently, I am useless. _about as threatening as a wet kitten,_ the voice in my head comments, snidely, before laughing, _laughing_ at the bad joke. Akira snorts and lets go of my neck before asking telling him she is going to watch the others and stalking off. He watches her go and then turns to me.

“Done something to upset her?” he says, and I guess the look on my face is enough of an answer because he continues. “You should try to make up with her. We as a clan aren’t meant to fight alone, the more allies you have, the stronger you will be.” Pause. Nod. Satisfied with this, he walks towards the direction she just departed from. It’s then that Yuki comes bounding up to me. 

“Akamaru, I have an Idea!” she shouts, and drags me to my feet. I am exhausted and feeling annoyed but I follow her anyways. She leads me into the underbrush and then turns to face me in front of a large fallen branch. “Help me carry this! We can use it to form a bridge!”

I let out a sigh and then begin “There’s no way this will make it even halfway across the river…”

“It doesn’t have to! Sheesh, give me some credit!” she whines, “there are a couple rocks that jut out of the river. I bet we can use this to reach them and make a bridge to the first one at least… and then find more to get to the next bunch!” she says, ending on a cheerful note. I think about it and decide to follow her lead, grasping the other end of the branch in my mouth. Part of me wants to recoil at the feeling of the soft wood, but I just bite harder and shift to get a better grip on it before following Yuki.

She was right, the log reaches the first of the stones, and while wobbly, we are able to get across to better judge the distance to the next one. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be as far, and she races back to the forest to look for more logs. It’s not long before we manage to find another log, but carrying it while crossing the first log proves more difficult. Yuki is more nimble than I, but it isn’t long before I fall into the water, and with it, the stick and Yuki. We break the surface at about the same time and manage to cling to the log. It’s buoyant enough that the log quickly drags us further downstream. Out of the corner of my vision I can see Akira sprinting to try to keep up with us, Takahiro close behind. But I can see him falling behind. 

Soon Akira is racing across the water, and there’s a bubble of annoyance when I remember that I cannot waterwalk, but I push it aside when we hit a rock, jostling us. I scramble to adjust my grip. I can hear Yuki yip and check to see that she is still clinging on. She is, but her grip is even more precarious than mine. She looks over to me and I can see a rising panic but behind it, determination. I scan the river in front of us. There are more rocks in our path, but thankfully it looks like we are close to the riverbank. I try to call out but we hit a rough spot and I gag on the water. I come up panting, and try again, voice horse. All I manage to say is “swim… bank…” between gasps of air. Thankfully she picks up on what I meant and begins to paddle towards the river. Soon Akira joins us.

“I can’t just leave one of you while rescuing the other, so here is what’s going to happen, you two keep paddling and I’ll join you. There’s a few more rocks coming up and I think we can wedge this between them. Once we do, I can get one of you across and come back for the other.” with that she drops down into the water and begins paddling, quickly maneuvering the log into position. Once she’s sure it’s positioned to hit the rocks, she grabs Yuki and begins paddling to the shore. I feel relief floods through my veins before I hear a sickening crunch and then am thrown painfully into the currents. I let out an Involuntary whimper. Here the river current is picking up, and churning violently. I slip under the currents and when I re-emerge I can see Yuki calling out for me and Akira running down the bank, before slipping under again. I am thrown against another rock, and gasp, swallowing water. I am thrown up to the surface and cough before submerging again. I spin around and face downriver. There’s some debris caught in the rocks ahead and weakly try to swim towards it. When I hit it, the water tries to pull me down, but I push the last of my chakra into my paws and use it to climb upwards, breaking the surface. I gasp and cling to the rock, panting. By the time I catch my break Akira has pulled me back again, swimming swiftly to the bank, and throwing me onto the earth again. I could kiss the dirt, so glad to see it, if I could move, that is. 

  
She pulls herself up and flops over beside me, panting. “God, you two are going to be the death of me.” Yuki appears in my field of vision, worried, but I can’t hear her. My ears must be waterlogged or something because everything sounds distorted. My eyes begin to blur and It’s almost as if her face is being superimposed by someone so familiar to me. It’s like my body just _knows_ , but my mind hasn’t caught up yet. Who are they? I can barely make out the eyes, emotional and full of tears, before I fade to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Narutoluvr9, SnowTime, KaneliCaprin for the Kudos, and Knowall for the comment! TBH I had to ask my friend if she was the one leaving the comments because they were so kind!
> 
> I will be honest, I was hoping to keep the background for Akamaru vague so that more people can relate, but maybe to make Akamaru I need to be more specific? I write Akamaru the way I do so that gender doesn't specifically matter, and anyone can put themselves in Akamaru's shoes. The memory block is important for some plotpoints, but it's also to give the reader a chance to insert themselves a little more. there are a few details I have added, like Akamaru's a college student, and wants to help children, but other than that I wanted to keep it vague. On the other hand, specifics and character-building is what makes a fic so fun! I am torn. I'm also super excited to get to some meatier parts, and aware that most of these chapters have been lots of dialoge but no action so here you go!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akamaru's first Kill. there will be a break in all caps in case you want to skip it. EDITED 4/10

The first thing I see when I wake up is stars. They’re beautiful, I think. The next thing is Yuki’s worried face. She starts to ask who I am but I ignore her to wobble to my feet. I sway and shift my feet to stabilize myself before taking a step and falling forward. I manage to catch myself but slide down, defeated. My limbs feel like rubber and I let out a huff of frustration. Yuki continues to pester me with questions but I am more focused on the figure coming into sight, it’s Akira, of course. Finally I turn towards Yuki and tell her I am fine and to quit fussing. She lets out her own huff of frustration and stalks over to Akira to say something I can’t hear. There’s too much noise in my head, the dull pains and feeling of shame and anger. If I can’t handle one lousy river how am I going to handle something really important? I have a monumental task in front of me and I need to improve and quickly. Maybe Kuromaru was right, and I should stay out of the Hyuuga affair. I can’t handle this. _Any of this!_

My thoughts quickly turn sour and self-deprecating. If I were feeling better I would be digging through some of this dirt, or running, or doing something to get rid of all of these thoughts and this frustrated energy, but I can’t. Yuki and Akira finally reach me, and Akira drops a small pile of sticks she was carrying. 

“Takahiro must have taken the others to the bridge up river to cross over. They’ll probably meet us sometime this evening or early morning if they decide to camp. For now, we are building a fire. Got to keep you warm, and the smoke will make it easier for him to find us.” she says and her tone is flat. 

_I really don’t need this right now._ I think to myself, and the voice answers, _“why are you letting this bother you so much? Why is she so important anyways?”_ I shake my head, trying to dispel this voice. Akira nudges the sticks into a circle and then gathers some small kindling. Then she leaves to look for moss, and tells us not to wander off. 

It’s then that Yuki breaks the silence. “Akamaru, You’ve been acting weird lately, like you’re in pain…” she fidgets uncomfortably. 

“I’m fine” I cut her off curtly. The voice in my head has retreated but there’s still the nagging headache.

“You keep saying that… but you’re not!” She says, and the sharp pitch of her voice sets my headache off. I let out a small growl.

“Akamaru, I’m serious, come on!” the whine is back. My head throbs.  
  


“Are you serious? _Are_ you really?” I growl back, “I don’t have time for this right now!”

Akira speaks up now emerging from the woods. “That’s just it! You _never_ have time, not for me, not for your family-” Yuki flinches- “only for Kuromaru and Kento.” Akira spits out their names and I can see the flash of her canines. A few months ago this would have scared me, but now I am just angry. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snarl back.

“What it means is it was so fucking easy for you to drop us, run on to Kuromaru. Why is that? Were we not strong enough? Not well connected? I get it. Kuromaru picked you and now you’re too good for us, for me.” I try to interrupt and tell her she is wrong but she’s on a roll now. “Of course, I mean why would you want to be seen with someone like _me_ , the weird runt who fucked up and almost let her partner die! The weirdo whose too afraid to leave the village now. Being seen with Little old _“Dishonorable discharge”_ me would be a stain on your reputation!” The way her voice breaks, and the look in her eyes tells me that this isn’t just about how I treated her, but at the same time my heart aches with guilt. I can see the shock on Yuki’s face as well but she chooses to stay quiet. 

It explains a lot, actually, like why she had so much free time, and why I never met her partner. She barely talked about him, in fact, up until now, I didn’t even know he was a “he.” My thoughts are racing and I don’t respond, just give her a blank face, which she must take for rejection because she tries to storm off. 

“Wait!” I call, and rush to catch up with her. “That’s not it I promise! Please, let me explain!” 

Yuki steps out to her other side, and gives her a sort of look I can’t really place. There’s an… almost battle of wills going on as they stare at each other before Akira lets out a huff and flops over. She’s not looking at me but it’s the best I’ll get. Yuki nods at me. 

“I.. I’m really sorry. I am. I never meant to make you feel that way. Either of you, but there’s a lot of dangerous things going on, and as Kiba’s partner, I am going to be thrown into them. I’ve been so focused on trying to get stronger, so I can keep him and the other kids safe. I guess I got so preoccupied with that it was like I had blinders on… I never meant to ignore you. I promise. And I’m not ashamed of you. I just get tunnel vision easily.” I shuffle, uncomfortable with these apologies. I mean, I feel bad, but isn’t she over-reacting? She’s completely misunderstood, and while she has a right to be angry, I guess, it’s not all my fault! There are a lot of emotions churning in my head, and I have a lot of things I want to say but I bite my tongue. None of those would help this situation and right now I just want everyone to stop being mad at me. _That’s the problem, isn’t it?_ The voice says, liltingly, _No-one’s ever going to know why you lie to them, they’re just going to know you lie. You’re going to fight so hard and in the end, there won’t be any praise for you. “_ Would you please just shut up?” I respond, screwing my eyes shut as another headache breaks against my forehead like the currents of the river. 

Then I open my eyes and see that I must have said that out loud. Yuki looks concerned and opens her mouth, pauses and then shuts it again. That’s a relief. I can’t really explain this, and the more she asks, the more it reminds me that I don’t know much of anything. I mumble out sorry, and turn away to sleep. I can hear Akira shift and suddenly I smell smoke. I want to know how, but my pouting outways this and I remain still, thinking until I fall into a restless sleep. 

I wake up when I smell an approaching pack of dogs. Takahiro comes into view, and a few pups bound forward to swarm Yuki, asking her questions. Akira begins to report to Takahiro. I stand awkwardly to the side, until Takahiro comes to greet me. 

“Did you guys make up?” he says, way to cheerful for the early hour and the gravity of the situation. 

“Maybe? I don’t know really. I’ll figure it out later though” I say, and he looks surprisingly stern. 

“Later? Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” he admonishes and I wince.

“Ok, I’ll try” I grumble, and he nods before turning to address the group.

“Ok everyone. For today, we have a very special task.” he moves to a tree, and I realize it has a bright red stripe painted around its circumference. “This red mark signals the border between our compound and the Nara’s. Do. Not. Cross. It. within our own territory I need you to hunt down a small animal, rabbits, squirrels, birds, whatever catches your fancy. Tracking is often a long term mission, and we aren’t built to run on soldier pills. Your partner will appreciate the fresh meat too.” I gulp, understanding what he means. He wants us to kill… some poor animal? 

“Dismissed!” 

With that, almost everyone scatters to hunt. It’s only Takehiro, Akira, Yuki and I. He looks at the two of us and sighs. “I know you two are probably tired, but I’m afraid that’s simply how being a ninken works. You need to power through it. This is important for being permitted to become a partner. If you don’t complete it this time, you’ll have to wait a year.” We both wince and take off into the forest. She breaks away first, smelling something, and disappears in the underbrush. I continue running straight before stopping. This should be far enough away that I won’t get disturbed by anyone else. My training with Kuromaru should help me here. This shouldn’t be harder than tracking Kenta!

It isn’t long before I catch a scent, and hear something moving through the underbrush. I crouch and begin to crawl through the forest, careful to avoid leaves and twigs. As I enter the brush, I spot it, a small bird, hopping around in the dirt. I wince. I really don’t want to kill some small woodland creature, but if I don’t, I won’t be cleared to be Kiba’s partner. I adjust my footing and get ready to pounce… 3… 2… _damn it’s cute_ …. 1….

There’s a surprised squawk and the bird flies up into the canopy. Damn it. I slink back into the underbrush. With that, most of the small animals in the area are probably on high alert. I’ll have to move further into the forest. I take off, carefully trying to silence the sound of my footfalls. I reach another clearing, near the river and camp out. Maybe something will come by for a drink? Sure enough, a rabbit approaches a shallow section of the river, and I crouched down ready to pounce. Once again, I miss, and it goes running. Damn it! My stomach starts to growl in protest. I haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, and I am exhausted, but I can’t stop now, so I walk deeper and deeper.

WARNING: GORE AHEAD! SKIP TO AUTHOR NOTES AND READ THAT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THIS!

The sound of a panicked bird brings me back to my senses. The forest is darker here, the trees grow thicker and the canopy blocks out most of the light. It’s also quieter and there’s a smell here that I don’t like. It puts me on edge. I turn to leave when I hear a noise and startle. In front of me is a large snake, yellow and black stripes going down it’s body. That body was about 8 times the length of me, with menacing black eyes and a diamond shaped head. Shit. I start backing away and hear a crack behind me. The snake whirls towards me, and flicks it’s tongue out. Shit. shit. It raises it’s head up and narrows it’s eyes. My muscles tense up, and so does the snake’s. We stare at each other.

_Thud!_

Just as I move left it springs forward, fangs extended. I turn to face it as it draws itself up, hissing. There are a million thoughts running through my head. Is it venomous? God, look at the size of those fangs, venomous or not, I couldn’t let it bite me! 

_Thud!_

Same as before, I dodge just as it strikes, but this time I feel the gust of air as it passes. I shiver. That was too close. _I learned this, I learned this!_ I chant, but when learning to dodge with Kenta, It was never this intense. _Please be over._ I turn to look, but the snake is drawing itself up, readying for another attack. I need to run! I tense, getting ready to run when I realize something. There are more snakes. Not that I can see, but the smell is too strong. Without knowing where, I can’t simply run into the underbrush. 

What do I do? _Think, think, what else can I do? What would Kenta do?_ But I can’t focus. Every rustle of leaves, every hiss of the snake, and I am torn away from any kind of plan. I hear a rustle of wind above m, and my eyes dart up. _Branches…_

Mistake. The snake lunges and while I miss it’s teeth, it manages to whip it’s tail into me, and I stumble left, winded. _I just need to think!_ Can’t escape, can’t escape. Damn it! The snakes are still surrounding me, watching lazily from the brush. I let out a desperate howl: _please, someone save me_ ! A bird startles from above, and I can hear it fly away, but this time I keep my eyes focused on the enemies. Wait… _Up!_

The snake lunges again, coming at me from the side this time, but by the time it lands, I am gone, claws deperately digging into the bark of the tree as I heave myself up. Desperately, I try to use my chakra to cling to the bark, and barely feel it latch on. It’s just enough that with a running start I manage to clear the first branch. I nearly collapse on it, winded. _Safe for now,_ I think, _Just need to wait for help to arrive._ I let out another howl, stronger now, but then I look down.

Damnit. The snake is climbing, and this time it isn’t alone. Four snakes are slowly winding their way up the tree, while another waits at the bottom. I look up, it’s too far for me to jump to another branch, especially with the pain in my side. I feel my whole body tense up, and my thoughts tangle together. _I’m going to die!_

Then I hear it, a howl in the distance, and I recognize it as Akira. I turn towards the direction I heard it to howl in response, and the snake on the ground does as well. Then it looks up at me and hisses a challenge, but I am no longer so afraid. _Just one, just one and then I can make it to Akira,_ I think, and my nerves settle slightly. _I can do this._

The climbing snakes are nearer now, but I still have a few seconds to think. How do I take the snake on the ground out? I run through all of my lessons with Kenta and Kuromaru. The best place to attack is the back. I can’t do that, it’s too far away. But… maybe? Yes. If I draw it into a lunge, and dodge only slightly, and move forward instead, I might be able to get behind it. Akira howls again, and I can hear an edge of panic in her voice. I take a deep breath and let out one more howl before I jump.

I try to roll into my fall, but it’s clumsy, and my paws sting from the landing, but I barely notice with the blood pumping in my ears. If I get it wrong and don’t dodge far enough, It bites me in the face or neck. Dead. If I dodge too far I won’t be able to reach it and bite down. I can feel my energy flagging. I was never good at quick time reactions in video games. Shit. I gulp. The snake’s been sizing me up and down, coiled up and hissing. Now that I am on the ground, it seems much bigger and more imposing than from where I was in the tree. _Can’t think about that now!_ I try to puff myself up while I stare it down. My legs are shaking. No doubt it can see me. We both tense up again, sizing each other up. I try growling but it dies in the back of my throat.

In this short time the snake manages to lunge at me and grab my back leg. I let out a cry of pain as my nerves scream at me. I flail my back legs, bucking like a donkey, but the snake holds fast. Finally I have a moment of clarity, and whirl around to bite it. I manage to grab onto the middle of the thing, and my mouth fills with the taste of blood. It’s hot and I can taste the iron, and feel the snake writhe in my mouth. I am so revolted I almost let go, but I feel the pain around my leg intensify and grit my teeth. More blood flows into my mouth and I gag. Then I hear a snap, and the snake goes limp. I think I broke it’s spine. Panicked, I bite down once more before dropping it’s carcass. It falls with a sick thud. The taste in my mouth is overwhelming. 

God. I just bit a living thing! I spit out as much as I can. I just killed that snake. I bit it and it bled and now it is dead. I killed it. With my teeth. It was in my mouth and I killed it. I recognize my panic but I can’t stop it. I _just killed_ that animal. I bit it and I can still taste it in my mouth and I could feel it and it was alive but now it’s dead. Because of me. _I did that_. I vomit.

_Focus! I can’t die here!_

I stumble back and my leg cries out in pain. It’s not over yet. I can hear the snakes above me shifting, and the wet squelch of the blood seeping into the leaves. I let out another howl and then take off running towards the direction of Akira’s howls.

I stumble almost immediately, my back leg hanging limply at my side. I can’t put weight on it, but I can’t stop, the snakes are still there, and who knows what else might have smelled me in this forest. I feel like my chest is going to explode. How am I going to get out of this?

_Now what?_ I wonder. “If you can’t handle a few snakes are you really going to be able to stand up to the snake sanin?” that damned voice in my head responds.

“Shut Up! I have shit to do and you aren’t helping!” I shout, out loud. It feels good to be able to yell about it out loud. The voice doesn’t respond. Someone else does. Akira. She rushes into the clearing and her head swivels, eyes growing huge. 

“What happened?” She nearly shrieks. 

“I don’t know, There were snakes, so many snakes. I killed one. They were going to kill me. But I killed it. Their blood! It’s all over me. I can’t get the taste… its in my mouth. I can’t get rid of it.” I can hear the panic and if I were still Human I would be bawling. Get it together! I choke down a sob.

“I going to die? Please don’t let me die!” 

Her eyes sharpen and she looks at me. “You aren’t going to die, I promise!” With that she tilts back her head and Howls, louder than I could ever manage. The howl sends me back into a panic. What if more snakes come? What if we have to fight? _I can’t stand the blood. It’s in my mouth… it’s in my mouth… It’s in my mouth… it’s in my mouth...It’s in my mouth… it’s in my mouth...It’s in my mouth… it’s in my mouth…_ I know I’m hyperventilating but I can’t stop. Black pinpricks swim on the edge of my vision and I begin to wobble. 

“Breathe Akamaru! It’s fine!” Akira shouts, and I flinch. 

It’s not long before Kenta and a large human woman appear, Akira says something and the woman picks me up, before reaching into her pack. I can feel her bandaging me up, and then placing me inside her flack jacket, before jumping into the trees and taking off. Every time she lands it sends a jolt through my leg and I let out a whine. She tries saying something soothing but I can’t focus on anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who didn't read, Akamaru was ambushed by two snakes but managed to kill them, before Akira came and summoned more help. However, Akamaru is not reacting well, physically or mentally. First-kill syndrome, shall we say? 
> 
> I don't like the idea of killing small fluffy things but they are ninken. Tried to get around it best I could, and there hopefully won't be too much more like this in the future. this is supposed to be a happy cheerful fix it so relatively few deaths. 
> 
> 5/11: edited, thanks for the catch, KenzieP
> 
> My muse and I really want to get to the action, so here's a long double update! But also, I want to make this clear, Akamaru is not a perfect person, hence the interaction with Akira and Yuki. It would be no fun if there were no conflicts of identity and growth right?


	21. 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovery and interpersonal relationships, part 2.
> 
> Please note that I rewrote the fighting section of the previous chapter

The next part is a blur for me, I know I end up back in the compound, and remember bright lights and the smell of antiseptics, there are plenty of humans and dogs around me, saying things, but my world is spinning and I can’t hear them. It’s like I am underwater. There’s a sharp pain up my injured leg and I turn around gritting my teeth in pain. I hear some sort of tsk above me, before feeling a pinch right behind my shoulder blades. Sedative?

I smell Akira and Yuki, as they try to say something to me, but when I try to focus I feel my eyes cross. Part of me gets annoyed, it’s too loud, too bright, and there’s too much going on, but I can’t make my sluggish body do anything. It’s like being a newborn pup all over again. I don’t know how long it is before Kuromaru and Kenta arrive. Kuromaru and Akira start barking and growling at each other, neither seems pleased. Kenta, however, pads up to me.

“Go to sleep pup.” he says in a calming voice. It’s the only thing I’ve been able to pick out of all of the chaos happening around me. “You’re safe now,” he continues, and slowly begins counting backwards for me. Too exhausted to think about it, I try counting with him, and it’s not long befoer I take it to heart, falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

The next few days I alternate between sleeping and eating. I learn that the snake managed to inject me with a nasty dose of venom, and it will be a while before I can get my muscles to respond to me. Furthermore, there’s bruising along my ribs, and they don’t want me straining myself. For now, I stumble around in a tiny room, with next to nothing in it for my own safety. Occasionally, someone comes by to feed me, or change the bandages that have practically mummified my back legs. I am, to put it lightly, bored out of my mind. I don’t even have that pain in the ass voice to talk to.

By the fourth day, I manage to pace the length of the room three times before I am winded, and they replace the full wrappings with a small patch. It’s also when I finally get visitors.

Tsume slides the door open, and she and Kuromaru walk in. It feels like I haven’t seen her in forever, and she’s sporting a few new scars, and dark circles under her eyes. She must have been out on the battlefield. Even so, she manages a huge grin when she sees me and flops down beside me, digging her hands into my fur and giving a rough pet.

“I never should have doubted you Kuro!” She says, with a hint of laughter. “I mean sure, dumb as fuck for wandering so far into that damn forest, but you’ve got to admire that courage, taking down one of those snakes!” He rolls his eyes at her and turns his attention towards me.

“So pup. How was the first kill?” he says in a monotone. No emotion. I wince, the taste of blood wells up in my mouth and my injured leg tenses. I swallow and rack my brain for something to say other than revolting or horrifying, but he beats me to it.

“It’s never supposed to be ok. If it were ok, something would be wrong.” his voice is still even, no kindness, but no malice either. Regardless, I feel my shoulders relax.

“What you did was impressive,” he continues, “but unnecessary. Going that far out, and putting yourself in danger for what?” he says, and this time I can hear an edge. Damnit! Does he think i meant to do this?

“It wasn’t my plan!” I snarl back. “But I couldn’t catch any of the other animals, they all fled before I got close. Besides, I wasn’t just going to kill some random fuzzy thing, minding its own business just to prove something to you!” If I had been in my right mind, there’s no way I would have said something like this. But I wasn’t. I was stressed and tired and on some intense painkiller or something. I wasn’t afraid to speak my mind.

“I mean seriously, I’m not here to become some killing machine, I just want to make sure these kids grow up all right! And I don’t see how killing a couple innocent little bunnies is going to do that! And I know I have nothing to prove to you! You know why? Because I’m not some pup! I’m an adult! I’ve always been an adult, and before all of this, I was going to be someone!” My voice chokes on the last part, a wave of grief hits me. I was. I was in college. It was my last year, I was saying goodbye to people and getting ready to move on. I was going to move to a new apartment, one near the bus line, and a cheap coffee place, I had just signed the lease with… with…

I can’t remember. I’m forgetting them. I rack my brain, but I can’t come up with a single name, not even my own. Did I ever know my name? I can’t even remember that. I can feel the weight of Kuromaru’s glare and Tsume’s concerned look, but I don’t care. The grief rises up inside me and I feel like it’s crushing my heart. I don’t want them looking at me, so I run through the open door, but neither of them chose to follow me.

By the time I stop running I realize that I am in front of my mother’s room, and I can smell her and my siblings inside. The rational part of me has no idea why, but I nudge the door open and walk in. Nao and Dai are wrestling on the floor, while Yuki, Kouta and our mother talk to the side. They all stop to look at me, before Nao and Dai rush me, asking a million questions at once, voices overlapping. Mother lets out a sharp bark and they are silent. She looks me up and down and then settles on the bandage on my leg.

“What happened?” she says, eyes narrowed, but without anger. I tell them what happened in the forest, watching her mouth tighten in disapproval and her tail flick back and forth. She’s surprisingly cat-like, I realize. Dai and Nao interrupt occasionally. With all of their excitement, it’s almost infectious and I realize, yeah, I am kind of a badass aren’t I? But Mother and Yuki remain silent, and Kouta only asks if I identified the snakes that attacked me, which I didn't. By the time I finish telling the story I realize night has fallen. We eat supper as a family together, and it’s… nice. I can’t really remember the last time I did this.

After supper, Dai and Nao demand I practice with them but Yuki cuts them off, and chews them out thouroughly, so they slink away to find some other place to roughhouse. With them gone, the mood turns more sombre. I realize that the others have quiet at dinner. I can tell they want to talk to each other, but are unsure with me around.

“Yuki, there are other options for you, I can see if anyone else needs a partner? There are a few humans looking into the boar migrations?” Kouta begins after an awkward few minutes of silence. She looks down at her paws.

“Thanks but… I don’t know…” she says.

Wait. wait. I meet eyes with mother and she gives me a hard look. Don’t say anything.

“Well, let me know…” Kouta trails off, and we return to silence again. I can hear crickets, and the sounds of a scuffle somewhere nearby. It would be peaceful, were it’s not for the tension. Yuki turns to leave, and as she passes by me she nudges me.

“Good job Akamaru.” she says, and then “good night.”

Kouta sighs. I look between him and mother. “She didn’t pass. Couldn’t bring herself to kill anything. She had a rabbit cornered and let it go. Takahiro saw and chewed her out about it,so she ran off. Came back here. We found out today that because of her actions she wouldn’t be able to try again. She officially lost her status as ninken.” he says, slowly. I can hear that he is choosing each word carefully, and the measured tone doesn’t reflect how he really feels. Shit. And here I was telling everyone about my fearsome showdown with the snakes.

I look up at my mother. “Should I… go talk to her? Apologize or something?” she nods her head no.

“I think it’s best to let things be.” but I still feel the knot in my stomach of all of the things we had said to each other, and the shame of not even thinking about her and how she did the past few days. But I am not sure what to do. So I sit quietly and listen to the sound of the crickets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote the previous chapter because I really didn't like it, and that's why it took so long to update, because I was trying to figure out if it was so bad that I needed to change it, or if I could work with it, keep writing and then change it during a later overhaul, because yes, I write out my rough drafts and upload them. I just need feedback and like, acknowledgement, especially for longer pieces. anyways, got back into my grove because I am rewatching the chunin exam and I have decided on some tweaks I want to make because I feel in love with a super minor character. I love this person. they are so great and need more appreciation. bonus points if you guess who they are. 
> 
> Also, thanks to comments, bookmarks and Kudos. Please be aware that if you do, I will be snooping around on your profile because I am nosy and because I love you.


	22. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> problems need to be solved.

Hiding from Kuromaru was surprisingly easy, Easy enough that I knew that he himself was also avoiding me. Part of me knew that delaying this would make it worse, and part of me was grateful it gave me time to think. I didn’t know what to do with my sister, or with the Hyuugas. I was going practically insane because there was no one to talk to about it. My mother shoots me a stern look every time I try to approach Yuki. All my mother says is “give it time.” Kuromaru and Kenta already made it clear to me what they thought of the Hyuuga affair. 

Speaking of which, there was snow on the ground, which meant that we must be getting close. I still had no concrete plan. It’s hard to make a plan when you don’t even know where exactly you need to be. I had never been around Kohona. I had never even met a Hyuuga, or really any human outside of the Inuzukas. God, when did I start distinguishing between me and the humans? Every time I start to think about how much I don’t know and how many variables there are, I start to spiral. Which is where I found myself now.

I was digging on the edge of the brush, near where the forest begins, as part of my avoiding everyone and anything that can remind me of the looming deadlines. The entire area was littered with holes I had dug throughout the last few days. For some reason every time I got distracted I had to start over. At some point, I’m going to have to start filling them in. Just another problem. With that wonderful though I begin digging again at a more furious pace, so focused that I don’t notice my name being called until a clod of dirt hits me on the head and breaks.

It’s Akira, of course. “So… is this what Kuromaru’s got you doing these days, looking for lost treasure or something?” she says, tongue rolling to the side. I snort derisively at her and haul myself out of the hole.

“What?”

“I mean, why exactly, have you been out here digging all day every day for the last few days, and Kuromaru’s nowhere to be seen for the last few days either. So…. what did you do?”

“Uhhh…” 

“Come on, what did Yuki and I say about honesty?” she says teasingly, and I grimace. I really don’t need this now. I have way too much going on for this right now. I think she sees this in my face and switches tactics.

“Look, I get that you’re being all mysterious and stuff, I do. But let’s face it, you need someone to talk to, for the sake of our yard, if nothing else. You’re here. I’m here. Kuromaru and Kenta aren’t here. Seems like a no brainer!” She takes a breath and I open my mouth to retort but she doesn’t even less me start. 

“Be- _ sides _ which, let’s be serious for a moment, whatever it is, this has been stressing you out for a while, and whatever you’ve been doing with Kuromaru and Kenta isn’t solving it. Maybe I can help?” she cocks her head to the side and pierces me with her gaze. When I finally realize now I get to respond, I can’t really even think of anything. She does have a point. But this is a serious problem.

“Can I have, like… thirty seconds?” I muster and she rolls her eyes and begins counting, like a child. I give her a warning bark, and she raises one eyebrow, which reminds me of all the times she has made that exact look before dragging me into mischief. 

Ah, what the hell.

“Ok. Ok. shit Akira, are you sure, this is some matrix level redpill blue pill shit.” 

“Matrix? And yeah, of course, we are pack. I’ve always got your back” There’s a choking feeling at the back of my throat. I never thought it would sound so good to hear that she’s got my back. I realized that even with Kuromaru and Kenta, it wasn’t quite the same. So I take a deep breath and begin.

“Well, the thing is… I remember my past life, kind of. I mean, I remember parts of it, but I think I’m losing my memories too? Like there’s so much missing and it’s important stuff too, like my name and my family, all kinds of things…”  _ Ok spiraling, spiraling, refocus _ … she opens her mouth but now it’s my turn to cut her off.

“Anyways, in my previous life there was a manga called Naruto… yes, like the boy. Anyways, I used to read it. It was cool, watching him grow up and use all these superpowers to defeat evil people… but it was all just a fantasy, you know? Like where I grew up, there was no chakra, and at least where I lived no child soldiers, none of this. So on one hand it’s so amazing to live here, and there are so many cool things, but on the other it’s terrifying because I know what’s coming next, and it’s horrifying to me. These kids are going to kill people by the time they’re thirteen,  _ Thirteen _ ! So I know all this and I need to stop it… but I don’t know how… and this world is so messed up so how am I supposed to fix anything…” 

She takes a few steps back and turns around. Then I can see her shoulder rising and falling.  _ Is she laughing or crying?  _ Then she turns back to me, eyes closed and sighs deeply. _ Is she going to tell someone I’m crazy? _

“Oh… kay… and Kuromaru and Kenta know?” she says slowly. I nod. She turns around again, and I just wait, unsure of what to do. She flops down and when I turn to face her she shushs me.

“I need to think, go back to digging or something.” so I do. Soon after the sun goes down she drops another clod of dirt on me. 

“So, tell me more. What exactly happens in these stories of yours?”


	23. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally introduce some actual naruto characters.

“Um, wow. You believe me?”

“I don’t know yet, but Kenta and Kuromaru do, otherwise they wouldn’t let you around Kiba. Besides, it’s obviously bothering you, so I guess it’s worth taking the chance… anyways, what happens?” I sag in relief. Someone to talk to…

“Well, the next big thing is the Hyuuga affair. The war ends right before Hinata’s birthday. Kumo sends a delegation, but they use it as a cover to try to kidnap her. She is rescued of course, and they kill the kidnapper… but somehow Kumo uses this to demand her father or else they continue the war, I guess? I actually don’t know how that works… but anyways, he sends his twin brother instead and then kills him using the caged bird seal. It basically leads to this whole inferiority complex in the guy’s son, and he bullies his cousin, and between him and her hard-ass father she grows up with no self confidence, and then the son almost kills her but they make up. He dies... in the war... against Madara.” I say, trailing off as I see her eyes grow wide in disbelief.

“Oooh-kay… that’s a lot to work with… and did you say Madara?” she says, slowly enunciating each word like she’s tasting them.

“Yeah… we can work up to that part. I think that would be better.”

“Ok so what’s Kuromaru’s plan?” she says and I wince, nodding my head. “Nothing? What do you mean?”

“They said I should focus on other things, because I can’t make too many changes and that the kid isn’t that important…” I bite out, now she’s the one wincing. 

“Oh”

“Yeah, oh… I mean, how can he say that? It’s just so cold! Like, here’s a problem and we have all this information and time to try to fix it and save some poor boy and then like a couple other people too… I can’t believe it!”

“Ah”

“So, I think the obvious first step is to find the Hyuuga clan compound.”

“Oh”

“You already said that one.”

“I mean, I’m just thinking this is very complicated… can you go over what we know?”

“That it. I just told you, right before her birthday she…”

“Yeah, ok, so that’s all we got. Look, I’ll help you, but we have to be honest with ourselves… there’s a pretty good chance this won’t work out.” she tries gently. 

“I know, but we need to try, right? And we have the upper hand, we know when they’re coming and who their target is… that’s a lot right?”

“Maybe, but do you know how? Or who specifically?”

“I know he was a head ninja, whatever that means…?” I say, cocking my head and she lets out a deep sigh.

“Ok, ok, let me see… how do we get into the Hyuuga compound?” she says looking up at the sky. 

“Can you ask… Kuromaru? You, not me. Or maybe he would still figure it out?” telling her all of this has made me feel lighter, and I feel like I can think again.

“Akamaru, he’s been called back to the battlefield with Tsume… they won’t be back for another two weeks unless something goes really badly. I thought he would have told you?” she says, and immediately, the light feeling disappears. But! I can’t do anything about that now, so I push it aside. 

“Ok, so that plan’s out, what else do we have? Let’s see… oh! Could it be some kind of clan politics? Letting the heirs get to know each other?” but as soon as I say it I know what the answer is.

“The hyuuga… don’t exactly associate with “our type,” buddy, or really anyone outside of the hyuuga and maybe a select few Jonin they’ve approved of… bunch of arrogant stuck ups, I’m afraid…” 

“Well there has to be some way in! Just, let me know if you hear anything!” I crow, trying to sound confident, but this whole conversation is sending me from barrelling from one end of spectrum to the other when it comes to confidence. On one hand I’m relieved to have someone to talk to, but on the other, It’s just clarifying all of the roadblocks. I need some kind of miracle. 

My miracle came three days later in the form of mice. As it turns out, the Hyuuga import many specialty foods from the land of rice paddies, and keep them locked up in a special warehouse on the property, only opened on certain occasions. You can imagine, then, their surprise when they open the doors, ready to finally “get the stick out their asses and celebrate for once” as Akira put it, and were met with a swarm of mice and half devoured foods that the Akamichi would kill to get their hands on. Which means they were looking for some highly trained and discreet pest removal. Of course there were cats, but since those were allied with the Uchiha, the biggest rivals of the Hyuuga for Ocular jutsu madness and the length of the “stick up their asses” cats were out of the question.

Which is why a long suffering branch member appeared in front of the door one day, asking for the clan head. Of course Tsume wasn’t there, so Kiba’s father answered. They spoke in low voices but of course, that doesn’t really matter to a dog. Upon hearing this, I ran as fast as I could to Akira, who then ran to Takahiro. Takahiro, as it turns out, is basically in charge of the ninken when both Kenta and Kuromaru are out, and while confused, he agreed to let Akira and I join in on the pest removal, as I had proven myself. There was just one more thing though.

“Sir, if I may, can my sister Yuki come with?”

“Yuki? That whelp that couldn’t even bring down the rabbit that fainted in front of her? Why?” he says, eyes narrowing.

“Well, I was… sort of hoping that if Akira saw her get a kill at the compound, she could be a ninken in training again? Please sir!” I say, groveling, but internally, I’m cursing this fluffy animal killing hangup that these ninken seem to have. He considers it, leaning back on his haunches.

“Fine, fine, I suppose that makes sense.” I thank him and then bolt to find Yuki, before I can hear the end of the conversation.

I find her in a part of the compound I had rarely been before, playing fetch with some older human, who, from the looks of it must have been a ninja. Past tense, as he was very clearly missing an arm, and burns on half of his body. I was confused because I knew she wasn’t a ninken, and other than ninken, dogs usually weren’t actually assigned to any specific humans. But she stopped when she saw me approaching and trotted over to me.

“Oh, hey Akamaru, how are you?”

“I’m good, I’m good. So… who is that?”

“Oh, him? That’s Ashitaka, he’s a retired Ninja I met a while ago, I think it’s lonely for him, his daughter’s on the front line, and she’s all the family he’s got left now, so sometimes I come over to look out for him.” she says, bashfully. 

“Oh, ok. Well listen, the Hyuuga need some of us to come over and help exterminate the mice in their pantries or whatever, but I asked, and if you come, and can get your first kill, Takahiro will let you be a ninken again! But we have to leave right now, because the Hyuuga are pretty impatient!” and with that I run back to the compound gate, leaving her to say her goodbyes.

By the time she arrives, the Hyuuga appears close to passing out, muttering about how the heads are going to kill him for being this late and “oh god why can’t this damn clan be on time for once?” while he paces back and forth. We let out a bark, and the Hyuuga lets out a sigh of relief before walking off, and we follow.

“So, why aren’t there any humans coming with?”

“The hyuuga don’t want any of them seeing inside their compound, apparently.” Akira answers, rolling her eyes. “Seriously, have they forgotten that we can talk to our partners? Akamaru, I tell you, these people will never, ever come close to seeing ninken as equals. Keep that to our advantage” she says, bitterly.

Walking through the streets of Kohona is interesting. There’s wave after wave of scents that I had never smelled before, and so many people moving around. But they all give the Hyuuga a wide berth making it easy for us to follow. The sunlight is cut into small rays by the tall buildings and crisscrossing power lines and laundry, or signs and banners for all of the small shops. It’s strange to think this was all just outside the gates of the compound, where it almost felt like a campground, with all of it’s small cabins and the woods. I soak in all of the sights and sounds, relying on Akira to keep me on the right path. In fact, I pass a blacksmith shouting out what sounds like sale prices and when I look, I think I see a small tenten behind him. Before I can check, Akira nudges me along.

We turn down the road into a quieter section of town, one that must be residential, and walk along a large walled street, looming compounds on either side. The Hyuuga then stops at the main gate of one of the compounds and raps on the door firmly. He exchanges words with someone on the other side and the door opens, letting us in.

The inside of the compound is pristine. There’s a large garden, complete with pond and several beautiful trees. Behind the garden are several impressive houses with a courtyard in the middle, where it looks like some training dummies have been set up, and then beyond them, I can see several more houses. But before I can really take in all of the detail, we are ushered to a corner of the compound and into what must be the pantry. The smell of mice is overwhelming here, as well as that of… rice? Which, I guess makes sense, but as for why they would go to all that trouble to make rice…?  _ Focus!  _ That obnoxious voice is back. 

“Ok, so, we should… get around to exterminating them… I guess? Akira, any Idea how we do that?” I say, turning to her. 

“Akamaru, did you even listen? They need us to figure out where the mice are coming from so they can get rid of the breach! If we kill a couple in the process fine, but realistically, three dogs against a hundred or so mice, isn’t going to work.” she says, exasperated, and if she were human, I bet she would be throwing her hands up in the air like… like who? Who did I know who did that? I furrow my brows and strain to think of who it was, their name on the tip of my tongue, but all I go is give myself a headache, and get a worried look from Akira and Yuki. 

“Ok, so I think we should split up then!” I say, trying to change the topic. Yuki! You investigate the pantry, and I’ll head out towards… umm… that way! I say, pointing to the regal looking buildings… and Akira… you go…” 

“The other way.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Meet back up at… sundown?” I say, and when Yuki nods, Akira and I turn and walk out.

“You sure bringing your sister was a good idea?”

“Yeah of course! Now she has the chance to be a ninken again.”

“Akamaru…”

“What?”

“I don’t think she wants to be a ninken. She doesn’t have it in her, and she knows that.”

“What? No. I mean, the whole BS thing about killing some rabbit in the woods, who wasn’t hurting anyone shouldn’t count.” I say hotly, “The rabbit was innocent, and ninken are honorable and loyal companions or whatever it is that they teach the pups. They don’t slaughter random animals that aren’t hurting anyone!”

She looks at me in disbelief, before shaking her head. “Besides the mice, I guess?” 

“That’s different, we need to kill them to, you know, save some people.”

“But they aren’t really hurting anyone?” she presses.

“I guess not…”

“Exactly. Sometimes helping the people you love means hurting someone else, Akamaru. For instance, if you’re out in the forest, 2 days run from the nearest town, and your partner needs food, you’ve got to kill that rabbit. Look, your sister is great, a super sweet little pup with a heart of gold and all that. But killing, it’s our job. Even killing animals and sometimes people, not because they deserve it, but because if they don’t our partners will.” she says, and while the tone is gentle, the words are not.

“Look, from what it sounds like, you lived in a world where you didn’t have to deal with this kind of thing, and that’s great. Really, it is nice to imagine. But Akamaru, that just doesn’t work here. And if you can’t kill rabbits, you can’t be a ninken. Your first thought can’t be ‘does it deserve this’ but ‘will this keep my partner alive for one more day?’” she says, and the sadness in her voice tells me not to push it. We walk in silence until we come across another famous naruto Character and I go still.

Neji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double update! I got so excite when Kudos hit 50, and subscribers, hits and the email thing hit a few new milestones too! also, of course, what else am I going to do? work on my thesis? haha. no.
> 
> Anyways, I am very much at the point where I want to be done with lots and lots of dialogue and building up things and onto the emotional scenes I planned in my head that are the whole reason for this big long backstory. Also, chapters are slowly getting longer and longer. 
> 
> Please give feedback, even just the one comment or tag in the bookmark makes me feel so much better when everything seems to be crappy. also, I need feedback on my writing because I can tell it isn't like amazing or anything, and want to improve. Or, you know, just play a round of elevator, lab partner and boss, (FMK but like... platonic) Kakashi, Gai and Tenzou.


	24. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some child abuse (Hyuuga family dynamics) I try not to get too graphic with it.

Neji is… four, I think, and in a yukata, which is way too flimsy for this weather. Even with the temperate climate, there is still a dusting of snow on the ground. If he is cold, he doesn’t show it. Instead he slowly moves through a series of Katas. He wobbles and adjusts his footing often, but there’s no doubt he is good at it, for a four year old. Compared to even Hana - four years older than him - he shows about the same skill, and a great deal more determination. But that still doesn’t explain why he is out here…

I pad over to him, playing cute and cocking my head at him. He only looks blankly at me, and then returns to practicing. I let out a whine and he shoots me a look. Jeez, what a serious kid. It’s not until I actually jump up and press my front paws against him that he actually says anything.

“Get off!” he snaps in a high pitched voice, betraying how young he is.

By the time my feet are back on the ground his father has appeared. He kneels down to his son’s level as he checks in on the boy, glancing at me. He shakes his head and starts explaining something to the boy, but the language is too hard for me to follow. I do pick up words like play and gentle. Then the man turns to me and looks at me kindly, before reaching out a hand. I decide to play dumb and trot over to sniff it, tail wagging. He gently pets me, something I am not used to from the rough and tumble Inuzuka clan, and then guides his son’s hand to do the same.

As he reaches me I see his sleeve pull back, and I see the bruises on his wrist and arm. While it’s hidden out of sight, I can smell the faint smell of antiseptic and blood underneath his clothing. Something must have happened. This war is growing more and more dangerous. If I didn’t know it would be over soon, I would be worried. 

_ But what if it’s not? What if your meddling prolongs it? What if by saving this man, you continue the war… Tsume and the others leave again and again. Eventually, their luck will run out… _

I wince and grit my teeth. That voice again, echoing in my head. Neji withdraws, and I see a flash of fear in his eyes. He looks at his father, whose hand has also stilled. Not knowing what else to do, I perk up and point, pretending as if I had caught the scent of one of those rats, before running off. 

“Seriously voice? All that time alone in recovery, but you wait until now to talk to me?” I think to myself. But there’s no response. Honestly, I should be more concerned, but it’s just another addition to the weird things that have happened to me, and of all of them, doesn’t seem like the most pressing. 

Eventually I run into Akira, and Explain to her that I met Neji and his father. She’s been walking the perimeter, trying to figure out how Kumo nin would get into the compound in the first place. 

“Are you sure you don’t have anything to go on? No jutsu, not even an affinity?” she whinges, and I shake my head. She makes a noise of frustration. “Well, the main house - I assume that’s where the little princess-” “Hinata” “Sure… where she is kept, faces Kohona to the front, but on the other three sides is flanked by Hyuuga buildings. Best bet, they come in from Kohona side, where they have a clear shot, and then head out the back and to the south, knowing that by then the Hyuuga will have noticed, but hoping that if they’re fast enough they can buy enough time to cut across the rivers… That would throw the trackers off for a hours at least… or at least that’s how I would do it… of course, if they have earth Ninjutsu that’s a different kettle of fish entirely…” 

As she trails off, she begins sniffing the ground around the walls. “Akamaru, have you learned to sniff out seals yet?” 

“No?” 

“Well, It’s not like it’s a very common skill for ninken these days anyways. There aren’t many seal masters out there setting new traps or anything like that these days. Has he taught you how to sniff out chakra?” I nod, hesitantly.

“I can recognize the size of chakra, and use that to tell what kind of animal or human is coming… if I really focus. I haven’t been able to do it all the time like he does…” I say, shuffling. We were going to practice it, but then there were the snakes, and everything that came after.

“Ok, good enough. Anyways, sniffing seals isn’t that much different in principle, but what you're looking for is very faint, and slow moving. It’s almost like a feeling for the chakra of moss. You can’t feel it most of the time because it’s so small, and the moss isn’t using that energy to move, and it grows too slowly to notice. No brains, no complex organs. So you don’t notice it, because damn, if you sensed even that, all the time, your senses would just be overwhelmed. But now, you’re trying to focus, just on that feeling, of that chakra. Does that make sense?”

It doesn’t really, but I nod anyways, and assume my chakra sensing position, eyes closed, all four feet planted firmly on the ground, and head held high. Kuromaru always yells that I need to be able to do it will my eyes open, but Kenta assures me that for now, it’s fine. There’s a twinge of sadness thinking about them, but I push it aside to focus on the moss, or whatever it is I’m supposed to be looking for. 

“Now… there’s already a seal, and a pretty potent one at that, right below us, so try looking for it, but be careful, don’t send too much chakra out near seals, you never know what they’ll do.” she warns, and I try to follow her advice. I try to send out my chakra, through the pads of my paws, not with any kind of force, but just to feel. 

Like Akira says, focusing like this I can feel the gossamer threads of chakra that must be roots, and small little pinpricks of animals scurrying away from my chakra. It’s not long before I feel something, almost like oozing mud below all of the threads and pinpricks. It’s slow, and as my chakra touches it I can feel it extending in all directions below, pulling, almost, towards the earth. 

Wham! I feel something shoulder check me and I stumble over. Akira stands, braced. 

“What did I say about sending too much chakra? That thing could have sucked you dry!” she admonishes, and I wince. “Damn Akamaru, trying to get yourself killed? Whatever, at least you found the seal, and on your first try too! There should be some kind of award…” she begins to mutter to herself, but then snaps back to look at me. “Now, do not mess with seals unless you’ve got someone else watching you, ok? They’re more dangerous and unpredictable than some Chunin... “ at this she seems to remember something and snickers to herself. I just nod along. 

“Anyways, point being, this place has some extra seals, above and beyond those that were woven into the village, so whoever this Kumo nin is, they must be pretty powerful. My best bet, is that to avoid these seals they would have to come in from the top, and make it as quick as possible. But once again, that’s only a guess, I mean who knows with Ninja these days? Maybe it’s some Kumo version of the yellow flash? Anyways, lets go check on your sister.”

We do not find her in the warehouse. Instead we track her down in the training grounds with Neji and his father. Neji is still running through Katas, while his father looks on fondly. Beside his father, however, is a harsher carbon copy. This man’s face is drawn into a tight scowl as he watches Neji practice. I can see the tension in Neji’s shoulders now. Yuki also seems tense, as she sniffs under the porch of the house. 

When Neji stumbles, it comes as no surprise, the kid seemed tired when I passed by. But the sound of him catching himself is cut off by the sterner twin saying something and then turning to leave. I see Neji’s father begin to say something, before his brother shoots him a dark look, and cuts him off again. Neji’s father sits down on the porch, a grim look in his eyes.  _ I knew the Hyuuga had high standards but seriously?  _ This is insane. Before I can do anything, Yuki is there, gently licking the man’s hand, and Neji dusts himself off before approaching his father to say something. His father ruffles his hair and smiles at him, then Neji scampers off somewhere. Yuki remains by the man’s side, and Akira nudges me, so we go join her.

“So, Yuki, what have you been up to?” Akira says playfully, and Yuki looks away ashamed.

“I found where the mice are coming in, but…” and then her voice drops so low even my dog’s hearing can’t register it.

“What?” Akira says, softer and more serious now. Yuki looks up at her, eyebrows furrowed, and then glances at me. She gulps and then whispers something in Akira’s ears. Akira looks shocked for a second and then nods in understanding. 

“Well, It’s a job for another day. For now it’s getting late. I say it’s time to head back and get some grub! Right?” Akira says, cheerfully. But I can tell something isn’t right. Next time we are alone, I need to remember to ask what that was all about.

But the next few days, Akira makes sure that we are never alone. Instead she sticks to Yuki like glue. It worries me, it really does. Every day bright and early, she comes to wake me up, Yuki already at her side. We walk over to the Hyuuga compound together and then Yuki and Akira walk the perimeter. They’ve assigned me to the warehouse. The Hyuuga are repairing a few of the small holes that Yuki found, but Akira keeps saying better safe than sorry, and tells me to find more. It’s been three days, and I am about to go mad pacing these four walls again. I can’t even see Neji.

I didn’t realize until later, but seeing Neji was important for me. Everything seemed so abstract and far away until I saw him and remembered that in a short time, he is going to be without a father, in this cruel compound, and raised to hate Hinata. Seeing him reminded me of what I was doing, and why it was so important to succeed. In fact, maybe I need to see him again, remind myself of what I should be focusing on. Yuki has Akira with her anyways, and I know Akira can take care of it!

With that in mind, I set out to find Neji, a spring in my step. Even though I hadn’t exactly seen him too often, when Surrounded by all of these unfamiliar people’s scents, it was easier to track the few scents I did know. So it wasn’t long before I found him in a small, almost shrine like building. I could smell a few more humans in there with him, but the doors were closed, and there were no windows. I decided to wait.

I shouldn’t have. Within a few seconds, I heard screaming, High pitched, a child’s, and one of deep pain. It sent a jolt of pain up my own spine into my heart and without thinking I launched myself at the door, clawing at it to try to get in, but for all the claw marks, it did not budge. I let out howls of my own. Let me in, let me in! Then a shadow covered me and the door flew open. Neji’s father leapt into the room screaming and ran to scoop up his son. Neji curled into his shoulder sobbing, and I leapt to reach the boy, something in me needing to be right there, to comfort him. His father was shouting at all the people around, eyes brimming with tears, neck bulging and red in the face. His voice boomed with a kind of authority only Tsume had. The other Hyuuga scurried away, one of them turning back to shout something at the man.

When the man finally calmed down he put his son down, and I felt heart drop. There, on little four year old Neji’s head was blood, tricking down from his forehead. On his forehead I saw the ink seal, the caged bird. I wanted to throw up, but I held it back. Tenderly, his father picked up some cloth, dipped in water and began dabbing at the blood. He kept muttering something softly, something that should have been reassuring, but it wasn’t not to me or the boy, because we both knew.

This was wrong. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I write short chapters I know. I plan on editing this all later to make longer chapters and tighten up the writing and plot a little more, but honestly I think it's best to finish everything, take a break, make another work in progress and then come back and do those kinds of edits. But I can't exactly wait, because low key I need lots of external motivation. Please consider writing a comment about anything basically, and thank you to all of the nice people who have given me Kudos, and the two people who bookmarked my work!


	25. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double update, make sure to read 23. Warning, this one also has violence and death.

Neji and his father walked back to the place where i first found them. I assumed they must live here. His father sighed, and looked out on the training ground, eyes glazed. I tried to lick his hand, get him to look at me, but he waved me off. Neji was curled up at his father's side, sucking his thumb. I tried licking his face but he withdrew from me. Maybe they needed a distraction? I jumped off the porch and dropped into a play-bow, barking at the two of them, but neither looked at me. Then I tried jumping, and rolling around in the mulch. I even brought them a stick to throw. Nothing worked. I groaned in frustration. I had no idea how to handle traumatized kids. 

That’s when Akira and Yuki sprinted into sight. Akira Immediately barked “update” at me, and Yuki ran over to the boy, looked him over and let out a sigh, before settling herself next to him quietly. I turned to Akira.

“It’s just not right… he’s four, four! Damn it! They sealed the poor kid, there was blood running down his forehead, all over his face. At four. What the fuck kind of place is this?” I could hear the hysteria creeping into my voice but I couldn’t stop it. Yuki and Akira’s ears picked up at sealing, and I saw Akira’s shoulders fall. She made a noise like all the air had been knocked out of her and turned to look at the man and his child. Looking at this scene, everyone seemed so frail, the man, the boy, and the two dogs.

Then, there was the sharp voice again, and I saw the Hyuuga clan leader step into sight, mouth set in a stern grimace, eyebrows furrowed. Immediately, ninken and the father were at attention, and the boy seemed to shrink even smaller. His father stood up and stepped in front of him, and Yuki replaced him, curling around Neji as best she could. The two men began shouting at each other, both red in the face. They were gesticulating wildly, and even without knowing enough of their particularly flowery Japanese, I understood the jist of it. Yuki glanced and Akira and I, and we slinked over, trying not to grab the attention of the two men. 

“I think the boy needs to leave, go some place…” she says softly, and as if to prove her point, there’s another shout and the boy shrinks further into himself. Akira gently grabs the sleeve of his jacket and Yuki helps nudge him up. I stay rigid. I don’t know what to do. Akira looks at me, her eyes saying something I cannot quite understand, and then looks away as she leads to boy down the porch, turning the corner. Numb, I follow the three of them, but just as I turn the corner I hear a strangled noise, and as if I’m being pulled by an invisible leash, I am jerked back. Neji’s father is on the ground, clutching his head, as his brother looks down at him. He bends over to say something, and then turns to leave. I feel a shiver run down my spine. 

We walk aimlessly for a while, before Yuki apparently decides to stop. We are by a pond, with Koi in it, and she deposits Neji on a nearby bench, before jumping up and curling on his lap. He buries his face into her side and I can see his shoulders heave again. When he pulls back he is still hiccuping and his eyes are still red and puffy from crying. I am still at a lost.  _ You never were good at comforting people were you? _ The voice whispers, and I can feel the headache coming on. I grit my teeth and try to ignore it. Akira and I sit on either side of Neji and Yuki, in silence.

I don’t know how long it is before I see another Hyuuga approach us. Neji has fallen asleep curled up against Yuki. Akira and I still aren’t talking, but there’s something hanging in the air keeping both of us on guard. It’s the only explanation for what we do next. When the Hyuuga approaches we both jump off the bench and growl, hackles raised, braced and ready to lunge. The Hyuuga raises their hands in a placating manner, and tries to talk gently to us, but Akira and I do not waver. Neji stirs, but does not wake up. Then I realize that I can see a seal on their forehead. They keep talking and eventually, through my rage, their words filter through. 

“Inside… father… rest… injured… boy.... Eat… no harm…” and I look at Akira. We slowly back up and let our hackles drop. The Hyuuga scoops up both Yuki and Neji, and begins to carry them somewhere, with me and Akira trotting at their side.

We come to a quiet room, where Neji’s father is staying. He looks pale, and there is a wet sheen to his face, as if he’s been sweating. Wrinkles I hadn’t noticed cover his face. Neji slowly wakes up, and then looks at his father and starts, before jumping out of the Hyuuga’s arms and rushing over to his father’s side. They talk quietly as the Hyuuga excuses themself. Neji’s father reaches over to ruffle Yuki, wincing, so she leans into him, closing the gap. I feel like I can’t breath. I don’t belong. This is such a personal moment, and I feel wrong being here. I knew about the curse seal! I knew this was coming  _ But could you have stopped it? _ The voice responds.  _ No. There was nothing you could have done against this age-old tradition. Don’t let the guilt eat you. _ The voice says, this time comfortingly. And it does help,even if it’s just a little.

The Hyuuga enters, this time with a tray of food, and offers it to the man and boy, as well as a dish of water for us. Akira and I drink it appreciatively. I never realized how thirsty I was, or how good water tastes. It’s then that I feel the hesitant fingertips trace down my spine. They are trembling, afraid, so I do not even move. Then they retreat, and I feel them again, right behind my neck, a little less hesitant, but still trembling. Is it fear, or sadness then, that is making them tremble. This nameless Hyuuga, I don’t know who they are at all, but I can feel the heartbreak, and my heart breaks too.

We spend the night. I have no idea if that’s actually allowed, but no Hyuugas come to force us to leave, and no Inuzukas come looking for us. Neji sleeps curled around Yuki, and Akira and I sleep on either side of the door. But I don’t think any of us sleep well. My dreams are full of future horrors, and unsettling memories that seem to slip further away the harder I try to picture them. I wake up stressed, and with a pit in my stomach. I wake up to cheers and celebration.

The cheers do not come from within the Hyuuga compound of course, they are much too reserved for that. Instead they come from outside it’s walls. There’s a flurry of activity, and Hyuugas quietly talk to each other, but I catch bits and pieces. Kumo, Ninja, Peace, and war. All of which make my stomach drop. 

Akira notices it too, and gives me a grim look. We both know what comes next, and neither of us are prepared. But we steel our nerves and Akira quietly says that she will go check the seals again, for any weaknesses, and tells me to find the Heiress. I don’t even have the energy to remind her of Hinata’s name. 

As I walk over to the main compound, sniffing for the smells of a toddler, I see Hyuugas running every which way, getting ready for something. I catch a glimpse of the clan leader leaving the compound. That man. He wears a formal and intricate outfit, and looks so serene, as he departs. He is beautiful, of course, but if anything, it just makes me more scared. How could someone so beautiful on the outside be so cruel on the inside. I shake my head. Focus. 

I think I can smell Hinata, but Hyuuga guards refuse to let me into the building where she is kept. I circle it incessantly, looking for a way inside, which is how Akira finds me at sunset. She looks grim. 

“It’s now or never, Akamaru” she says in a low voice. “Shall we stand watch?” and her eyes show grim determination. Most of the Hyuuga are gone. From what I can tell, most of the branch members have gone into the city to celebrate, beyond the few servants I see entering and exiting the main house. They still won’t let me or Akira in. From beyond the wall, I can hear the sounds of celebrations and parties, as well as so many wonderful smells. But I’m not hungry, and my nerves make all of this grate against my senses. I want to scream. But I can’t. So I pace. Back and forth. The first few times, Akira tries to get me to stop, saying something about conserving energy, but even she is on edge. Is it tonight? Tomorrow? When? I pace, back and forth. My legs feel like lead. It’s like I’m wading through mud. I feel so… heavy…. Exhausted… I look over to Akira and she’s already asleep. Somewhere in the back of my head warning bells go off… This is wrong. I stumble. Genjutsu? How do I stop it? I remember the ninja saying Kai, but there were hand signs, right? My thoughts are sluggish too, but in the back of my head I am screaming. How else can I break it? 

_ Pain… _ the voice supplies.  _ Bite your leg. _ So I do, and I feel the sleepiness recede. Thank you, I think to the voice, before the adrenaline kicks in and I howl. I sprint to Akira and close my jaw around her hind leg. She screams and wakes up, looking at me panicked. 

“Genjutsu, they’re here!” I say, dropping her leg. We hear a crash and the sound of glass. Then the sound of a child wailing, which is suddenly cut off. I see a dark shadow leap from the building and am off like a shot, as fast as I can to follow. Every breath I get I let out a sharp bark, begging someone to hear me. The ninja is running along rooftops, and I can’t find a way to get up there without losing sight of him. But I can’t stop. Akira appears beside me, howling as best as she can as well, but running at this pace, we are sucking in air as best we can. It’s hopeless, I think to myself, and I can feel my limbs growing weak. I’ve failed. 

It’s then that we are overtaken by another shadow, one that lets out a strangled war cry before launching at the ninja, knocking him off of one of the roofs. Akira and I skid to a stop. Her father is here, I think, relieved, before remembering what happened last time. 

“We have to stop him from killing the Kumo nin!” I shout to Akira, but she is already gone, investigating a small lump. It moves and I realize it’s Hinata. She must have wriggled free from the Kumo nin when her father hit him. Akira takes a protective position in front of the dazed girl. It’s up to me then, I realize, before jumping into the fray. 

The Kumo nin is throwing Kunai and Shuriken frantically, leaping backwards to keep a distance between him and his opponent. At close range against a Hyuuga he is as good as dead. Occasionally he forms a few hand signals and air slices towards the clan head, but it only slows him down. Every weapon is deflected by a swift palm, every slice of air neatly dodged. Everyone here can see that the Hyuuga is getting closer and closer, as the Kumo nin gets more and more frantic. His eyes dart around, looking for a way to escape, and then his hand reaches into his pouch, and draws… nothing. He falters, and in that second, the Hyuuga lunges, palm extended towards his heart. 

I leap and grab the edge of his jacket, trying to pull him back, and feel the fabric tear between my teeth. It’s just enough to pull him back for a second though. The Kumo nin reaches behind himself and grabs a Kunai. The Hyuuga head hits his heart at the same time the Kumo nin rams the Kunai into his stomach. As he goes limp, the Kunai drags down the Hyuuga’s body, and both fall. I freeze. Blood is roaring in my ears. I can’t hear anything. All I can smell is blood, and I can see is the blood oozing out of his stomach. I look at his face and… it’s the caged bird.

Akira would later tell me it was only a few seconds of fighting, and then I stood there for a few more, which she howled her heart out, summoning everyone nearby. The grab the Hyuuga Heiress from her, and medics swarm around. But they can’t fix it. No one can. Then his brother, the real clan head comes, and kneels down in the dirt beside him. He softly says something, and his brother lets out an awful laugh, it’s wet and raspy at the same time, and it burns itself in my memories. 

“After what you did to my son I hope you rot in hell. But poor Hinata never deserved any of this” Then he turns away from his brother and calls a different Hyuuga over, this one tearful. He says something and they look at me and Akira before nodding. He coughs and the medics start shouting to each other. Soon he goes limp. 

In the following commotion Yuki appears next to us, and a flurry of Hyuugas gather up both Neji and Hinata. Akira solemnly decides it is time to go home, and we wordlessly follow. We would later be told that while it stalled peace for a little while, because neither ninja had walked out alive, and the suspicious circumstances, the Kumo delegation had graciously decided to call it even. I nearly threw up when I heard the relieved sigh from everyone. 

A man was dead. I killed him. If I hadn’t pulled his jacket, the Kumo nin wouldn’t have been able to grab that Kunai in time. 

I killed him. The sounds of that night, his laughter and Hinata’s cries medled in my nightmares. But when I wake up all I can do is puzzle over the last thing I saw. As we were ushered out, I took one last look behind me, and saw the Hyuuga head, on the same bench we sat with Neji, eyes glazed. My heart lurches, and I don’t know how I am feeling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so I had some momentum and decided to end the Hyuuga arc here. there's of course going to be some reflection and whatnot. Anyways, anyone have guesses on the next major character(s?) to show up?


	26. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of dialogue about topics Akamaru was trying to avoid. The beginnings of the ripples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished my last paper for undergrad! Yay! so I can finally start working on this again. I'll admit, my favorite part is planning the story out and writing outlines of what I want to happen and the themes, not dialgue. More used to writing clinical persuasive essays than creative writing, but I am trying to get better. Thanks for reading my practice at getting better, and I would appreciate any feedback or comments. I wrote and outlined a bunch of things about what I plan on adding so I am excited! Stay safe!
> 
> *Edit: thanks for 1000 hits and so many Kudos!

The war ends. There’s a quieter celebration this time then before the Hyuuga affair. I miss most of it. Within two days, Tsume and Kuromaru are back, and I am forced to face another problem I had tried to avoid. 

It happens as I was watching Neji and Yuki play. Neji had been coming over occasionally, brought by a branch member every time. Yuki said that he was having problems: trouble sleeping, eating, stubbornly refusing to do his chores. It’s all natural, I guess, so long as you aren’t a Hyuuga with a bomb tattooed to your forehead. A few of the branch members are worried he will say or do something to get himself hurt. So they bring him here whenever they can. 

“It’s sweet really. Yuki needs something to fill her time with. She won’t be able to become a ninken, you know…” Kenta says from next to me, and I startle. I bristle at that comment but before I can retort, he shoots me a look. “I would be more worried about myself if I were you, Akamaru.” He turns to walk; a silent command to follow. 

We walk in silence, winding through the cabins and houses. He is brisk, and I am unable to catch up and walk beside him in these thin alleyways. It’s almost as if he doesn’t want to walk with me, and it makes my hackles rise.

Finally we appear at the clearing before the clan’s shrine. Kuromaru is standing, back to us, looking up at it. Kenta moves to sit beside him, and motions for me to sit on the other side. We all stare at the shrine in silence for a few seconds, as I feel myself grow more and more anxious. 

Finally, Kuromaru speaks, “You disregarded a direct order. I told you not to meddle in the Hyuuga clan’s business.”

“But-”

“But nothing, you disobeyed a direct order from me, and neglected your partner. Do you have any idea why this clan works?” “-listen-” “No, you don’t. Loyalty. We are loyal. To our family, to our elders, to our partners, we trust them and walk beside them. Leaf may pretend that all the clans are equal, but we aren’t. We aren’t the Uchiha, or the Senju, or the Hyuuga. We will never be seen the same as them. We will never be able to command the same resources. We will never be valued the same in the battlefield. The only reason why we aren’t simply fodder. It’s loyalty. It’s because Ninken and Ninja work together in this clan. We keep them alive. I don’t think you understand that.”

“I do! But I also understand how much Neji hurts, and enough to try, try at least, to stop it-” A whine creeps into my voice, and I can hear how weak I sound. Kuromaru hears it too, and I see one eyebrow raise.

“And how much time did you spend on your attempt? How much time did you spend on this Neji boy, instead of Kiba?” The tone is accusatory, mocking, and makes my stomach roil. 

“Kiba’s fine! He will be fine! Remember? Nothing happens to him!” 

“As far as you know. From what I recall, this fairy tale of yours was called  _ Naruto _ , not Kiba, right?” a note of scorn creeps into his voice, and he takes a breath. He is trying to calm himself and I try to cut in, before he glares at me with an intensity I haven’t seen before. “Do not interrupt, your insubordination is grating on my nerves. As I was saying, You don’t know what sorts of challenges he would face. All you know is that he survived when he had a Ninken who stayed with him, who was there for him. Who was _ Loyal _ . You are not that Ninken. You need to shape up before I remove you from his detail.” He bites out the end. 

I want to scream but my voice comes out softly. “For what? For caring too much? Because I try to help every child? Because I want to hope that we can build a better world for these kids?” I feel braver now, with each word my voice gets louder and trembles less. “ Look, I get that this world is fucked up and I can’t always win-”  _ No, you haven’t come to terms with that. _ The voice has returned. Damn it, I wince. “but at least I am trying to help make a better future.” I turn to stare him down..

“You, with your stars in your eyes. You come into this world and refuse to see it as it is. Trying to create a better world? The first step is facing reality. This isn’t your happy-go-lucky old world. This peace? these villages? Not  _ nearly _ as stable as they seem. We are a _ Kunai’s edge _ from falling back into the warring clans era, and I promise you, that is a much worse alternative. Last time we spoke you said you weren’t a pup. But all I see before me is a pup who refuses to wake up to reality.” 

By this time we are nose to nose. I recoil at his words and try to pull myself up to my full height.

“And I see an old dog, too afraid of change to even hope for better things.” With that I turn away, and begin to walk away. I can feel their eyes on me, and turn to say one last thing.

“It doesn’t matter if you chose a new partner for Kiba, I’m going to keep watching out for him, and Neji, and all of the other kids that come my way. Nothing will change that.” I feel proud. I feel badass. I’ve never been eloquent. Where did this come from? I could cheer for myself once I get out of sight, but right now I’m working on my cool strut. 

By the time I am out of sight, my legs turn to mush, and I can feel all the anxiety and stress I was pushing down until this moment bubble up. I practically collapse against a building, where Yuki and Neji find me. She can tell something is wrong, and Neji looks confused. She nudges me.

“Is this about Neji?” she asks softly. I look at her in bewilderment. “You’ve never been that hard to read. You were on edge the second we saw Neji and his father. Plus, Kuromaru saw Neji in the compound and he stalked off.” I just sigh.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I shake my head. She looks at Neji, and then back to me. “Whatever you did, I know you did it for a good reason. So I wouldn’t be too upset about it. If you change your mind, I’ll always be there to listen.” She then turns to guide Neji away. As I watch her retreating form, I feel sorrow climb up my throat. 

“Yuki. wait.” I say, and she pauses. “If you had to choose between knowing you were going to save one child, or take a chance, and risk him for the chance to save a few more. What would you do?” I whisper, and I can feel how weak and pathetic I sound. 

She pauses, and then answers slowly.“I don’t know.” she admits. “I’m not sure there is a right answer. It sounds like an impossible question.” I deflate. I guess I knew that she couldn’t just give me an easy answer. “But that’s how life is. Sometimes we get it right. Sometimes we get it wrong.” She looks at me, and I can see a softness in her eyes. “Thank you though, for trusting me.” 

I nod, dumbstruck, and then Neji tugs her along, so she shoots me an apologetic look. I wave her off. This is a question I need to answer for myself.


	27. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> training montage! jk, but there's going to be some slices of events and time skips, as there is about 4 years between the Hyuuga Incident and the Uchiha massacre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super happy with my writing right now so I wrote a little on the side to work on interpersonal conflict and descriptive writing, and that took some time. Also, I am an essential (part time) worker and am taking summer classes. So busy! But I am not giving up! I have so much planned! I need to save some characters! So I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to develop some people, and what other events to build up to. Thanks so much for the Kudos and the bookmarks! Also, to KenzieP for the comments! I love trying to pick apart how exactly Kishimoto's story is supposed to work.

In the weeks that follow I see very little of Kuromaru. Mostly, I end up training and working with Akira. The training is different from what Kuromaru and Kenta taught me. We focus much more on trap setting, difficult as it is without thumbs, and survival training. Occasionally we spar, but she beats into me that the goal is always to run away first, hide second, and fight as a last response. Every lesson is a reminder that it will be years before Kiba and I will be full grown, and that until then, running and hiding is our best choice, especially if we plan to spend long missions outside of the village gates. So we practice evasion techniques over strikes, and avoiding trackers over tracking techniques. 

During these spars I learn how dangerous Akira is. By the third month she tells me that she’s going to stop pulling punches. As soon as she counted down I turned to sprint to the safe zone, as she dubbed it, the shrine’s steps. But before I could make it even a quarter way, she appeared on my left and lunged to bite at my back leg. Startled, I jerked my leg back, and stumbled wide, but managed to right myself and keep running, a new achievement for me. I couldn’t savor it, unfortunately. I could hear her churning the earth behind me and begged my legs to run faster. She delivered another quick nip to my tail, but before she could really bite down I managed to roll to the ground, pulling her off balance. Once on my back I was able to kick her in the chest. She gasped involuntarily and I scrambled up and sprint. 

A month ago I would have felt guilty for delivering a blow for that, but now I know that a hit like that barely phases her. I don’t have time to worry about her, only to get away. I can see the treeline appearing, and know that it means I am almost to the halfway mark. Just have to make it to the treeline. Once I do, I can hopefully navigate the roots and brambles better because of my size. Blood is roaring in my ears. Training or not, my adrenaline is pumping. By the time my front paws touch down in the leaf litter I can barely breath. I huff and try to find a place to hide while I catch my breath.

I never even hear her approach her time. She rams me from the side and I am knocked left, nails digging into the slimy leaves. I try a feint and run in the other direction, but she doesn’t fall for it. She does grin at me, but when being hunted, that small gesture becomes much more terrifying. Instead she lunges for me and I try to pivot and she takes that chance to dive for my stomach. Panicked I lash out, and when I connect to her I push off. It’s her turn to be knocked back, but not nearly as far as I was. I’m not nearly close to recovering. My lungs are burning and my legs feel like lead. They can’t find traction on this wet ground. It’s not long before she’s behind me, but this time she slides next to me. Her face is curled up into a look of concentration now, no grin. and I can feel her chakra crackle to life on her skin before I am launched into the undergrowth. Straight into Kenta. We both go flying, and I can see his shock.

Before I can even right myself she trots in. She glares at him for a second and then turns to me and begins lecturing me on pacing myself and learning to fight in different terrains. She notes that I need more work in sharp turns and agility. The lecture continued as if he wasn’t even here, and I got more and more nervous as the awkward tension thickened. But I snap out of it when she breaks out into a smaller smile. 

“You’ve really improved. You got away from me a few times, managed to get a couple good hits in. The hit to my stomach? Perfect.” 

I involuntarily smile at that. Praise was always a weakness of mine. But then Kenta clears his throat. “Akamaru, I was wondering if I could have a moment with you?” he asks. Akira and I whirl around to face each other, but her face is unreadable, scrutinizing my own face. I nod and then turn to him, waiting. 

“ _ Alone _ ” he emphasizes. I look back at Akira, but her expression hasn’t changed. So I swallow and nod hesitantly. He looks relieved before turning and walking a little ways away. I follow, looking back at Akira. Her face is stony. Not angry persay, but not happy about this either.

“Look, Akamaru. I know Kuromaru might seem too harsh for you, but I need you to understand.” I take a deep breath in, stilling myself for another lecture. He looks sad though, as he continues. “Kohona isn’t that old, and our clan was hardly one of the first to join. So it’s not yet normal to us. Some of the elders still remember a time before we lived here. In our clan, it’s still assumed that the only ones you can rely on are family and your partner…” He looks wistful at this. Before looking up at me. I furrow my brows but don’t say anything else.

“Look, sometimes there are a couple people that sort of… prove that they have the same loyalty, and we start to consider them family, but for us, to say that we should risk our lives for absolute strangers, when we don’t know if they will return the favor, is… strange. We were at war with some of these clans not too long ago. Buried our dead and swore vengeance against their grandparents.” he continues softly, but with an edge on his voice. He’s not looking at me anymore, but past my shoulder somewhere.

“Look, I’m not saying that what you want is wrong, per-say, but that it’s going to be hard going, and there’s no knowing if it will even mean anything in the end.” I wince, thinking of how Neji’s father still died. I was reincarnated as a dog. A dog of all things! And no matter how much Akira praised me, and told me to focus on training, I couldn’t help but wonder sometimes if I could really even change anything. 

“But most of all, Akamaru, I want you to remember, that we’re your family, back against the wall you can count on us - all of us.”


	28. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not Filler, I promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has taken so long! I've been working and taking classes for the last few months, but now my classes are over, and I have to quarantine, so I have some time. Thank you so much for sticking with me, and I promise this chapter isn't filler, it's building up to bringing in some MAIN CHARACTERS!
> 
> Also, please please please, leave any comments or critiques, I'm still kind unhappy with my writing overall, and would love some feedback, good or bad.

Before I know it, there are buds growing on the trees, and the soil beneath us turns to mud. Spring is in the air. The entire compound could feel the turn of the season and began to get restless. Even with the forest to our backs, there still wasn’t enough room in the compound to really stretch our legs and run. The sun was out, and there were scuffles for the best spots in the sun, not just between the dogs, but between the younger members of the clan as well. 

Despite being the clan heir, Kiba did not win most of these fights. He was still somewhat runty, all things considered, although losing to Neji every week or so meant he was quick to rebound. It also meant he never ran out of energy. Were all toddlers like this? I didn’t really know. Which, when cramped in the small compound, meant more and more mischief. It just added to the number of scuffles that broke out between Kiba and the other children.

Once the sun set, his parents and sister became the main targets. Usually, they were pretty obvious pranks, ones that two shinobi and a student would be able to avoid. Sometimes He would hide things he thought they would need, to try to keep them from leaving them the next morning. Other times, he would try to hide and jump out at them, attempting to tackle and wrestle them. 

These attempts led to shrieks in anger from his sister. His father occasionally played along for a while, until his “defeat” and tearful monologue about how his own flesh and blood would turn on him. His mother usually laughed as she sidestepped his attempts.

“Better luck next time, Gaki.” she would say, ruffling his hair. He took it to heart and began following Akira and I, trying to learn from her.

I wasn’t sure exactly how he knew we were practicing masking our presence, but he always seemed to know what we were doing and where. Not that I really minded. Akira suggested it was a good thing, it meant our bond was strong. Besides, she insisted, he needed to learn this soon, so that we could work together. So he learned about walking on his toes and keeping his weight low, at all of three years old. He still isn’t particularly stealthy, He still manages to step on every single twig and crunchy leaf in the compound. Once he gets bored, he exaggerates his sneaky walk to the point that he fall over. but compared to the average Inuzuka kid his age, he is damn near silent, for a few minutes at least. He also likes to narrate everything he does. 

Sometimes he watches me and Akira when we work with ninja wire. Not that we actually let a three year old play with such a thing. You look away for one second and he manages to get in the most ridiculous situations. Eating random berries, dangling out of a tree, poking a hornet’s nest. No, we can’t really trust him with anything yet. But sometimes I wish he would just grow up faster because these things were damn impossible without thumbs. We, as dogs, are so limited in what we can actually do with the wire. Unfortunately, I remembered so well how to do such things from my previous life. 

Most of the time, my memories were kept separate from my current life. There were little flashes where my mind would supply some small piece of trivia, but memories of who I was, or the people around me were, came few and far between. In the back of my head, I was concerned, but with the leaves returning, everything felt so beautiful and alive and I did too. It grounded me in this new reality. So instead of thinking about it, I focused on the damn traps and how to get around my lack of thumbs. And on Kiba, making sure he didn’t maim himself on the wire.

One dusk, we return home, and I can hear a fight in the main house. Not every word, but occasionally there was an outburst. While Kiba can hear it too, I can see on his face that he’s focused on one thing: His mother’s voice. Between her missions and duty as a clan leader, I think we had only seen her for an hour, max within the last three weeks. He didn’t even great Kuromaru, who was waiting outside the building. Instead, Kiba ran inside, and I followed, with a weight in my stomach. I needed to watch the boy. If something happened I need to be there for him. Comfort him. It had nothing to do with the fact I was avoiding Kuromaru. So I glanced and nodded in greeting at him, and he reciprocated, before I lept inside and followed Kiba down the hall. 

“...ignore  _ a summon _ ?” That’s Tsume’s voice, indignant. 

“Three weeks! THREE WEEKS!” I had never heard Kiba’s father raise his voice. It strained and cracked.

“... Jonin… head of clan!” 

“... You’re a mother!....”

“... Knew this before… Married!”

“... One Damn Meal!”

“...rebuild... ...avoid another war!” 

“... last time you saw Hana? ... played with Kiba”

“... You think I want this... ....stuck up Hyuugas and Uchihas ...damn old fogey Danzo?! ...Instead of with my kids?”

“Well you sure don’t act like it!” 

“What don’t you get? I am doing this for  _ them _ ! For us!” 

When Kiba entered, his father and mother went silent, but their eyes said it wasn’t over yet. Tsume got up and swung Kiba around, laughing, while his father turned away and sipped his tea somberly. 

“How’s my little warrior?” she grinned, setting him on her hip. 

Kiba began to ramble in the way a three year old does. He found some bugs. He fought with Daisuke. He lost. It wasn’t fair. Daisuke’s dog helped. Warned him. Then Kiba was incomprehensible, even to me for a bit as he pantomimed a punch and squirmed in Tsume’s grasp. Gonna win next time. Akamaru walks quiet. So quiet. No noise. Akamaru is better than Daisuke’s dog. Akamaru uses ninja wire! He chirped. Tsume looked over at me, not disapprovingly, but with some sort of emotion in her eyes. Kiba kept chattering on about how he was going to be the best ninja in the clan, and even beat Neji some day. Then he ran up against the elephant in the room.

“Teach me how to wrestle! I’m going to win!”

“Kiba, it’s bedtime now!”

“Tomorrow! Promise!” she drew in a breath.

“I have to go to work tomorrow…” she said, tiredly.

“You always have to work! It’s unfair!” Kiba begins to squirm and pout, and I brace myself. 

“I know-” she says, trying to settle him down

“I never even see you ever!” he screeches while worming out of her grasp. 

“Please, Kiba…”

“No! No! No! No!” he slaps his hands over his ears and begins to stomp around. She looks over at her husband but he is notedly avoiding eye contact. She frowns and then sighs. Then she looks up and sighs to herself before grabbing kiba and removing his hands.

“Fine, how about this, I’ll bring you with me to work tomorrow” she tries, and he gives her a suspicious look.

“Promise?”

“Promise. But you’re going to have to behave, and be quiet. You understand?” and she gives him a stern look. 

“Yup! I’m going to be the best!” and then he runs off to tell Hana that he gets to go to work tomorrow. Tsume rocks back on her heels and shakes her head. 

“You going to babysit for me, pup?” she says, and I startle a bit when I realize she’s referring to me. I nod hesitantly. 

“Thanks, I’m going to need all the help I can get.”


	29. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take your child to work day, Jonin style

As promised, Tsume woke Kiba up nice and early the next morning. Before sunrise. Before the birds. Before I finished my very nice dream about… something I couldn’t quite remember. She dragged him out of bed, and fumbled through getting him dressed, fed, and marginally presentable. She gave up when it came to taming his hair. She checked in on the other two occupants of the house and then picked Kiba up, set him on her hip, and began leaping from roof top to roof top, Kuromaru at her side.

I waited. 

Then she remembered me. Cursing, she dropped back down and tucked me into her flack jacket. It was hardly the most dignified way to travel, but still puppy sized, I couldn’t complain. Then we were off.

I hated it. My stomach would leap up into my throat, then she would land and I would be jolted back, before repeating. I squirmed to try to find a better position but Tsume  _ growled _ at me, and I stopped immediately. So I sulked. But Kiba didn’t seem to mind, eyes wide as he took in the city. I then remembered that Kiba had only been outside the compound for his birth and a few check ups afterwards. He had never seen the world outside the compound. 

We finally arrived, right in front of the Hokage tower, a red and orange circular building, nestled in the back of the village. There were Shinobi all around, the few I could see, and the scents of others around me. From the west I could smell antiseptic, the main hospital, and from here I could see the academy as well. This was the backbone of the shinobi village, all within a few blocks. And right at the center, the most powerful shinobi in the Hidden Leaf, and one of the most powerful within the entire world. Daunting, if nothing else. But bundled up in a flack jacket, I didn’t have much choice in the matter. 

I readied myself to go in. Time to meet the Hokage, the seat of power within the village. Known as the professor. Would he be able to see past me? I imagined him immediately sensing something wasn’t right about me, or that I would give myself away, not act like enough of a dog. Could I somehow communicate with him? Warn him of what is happening? Or would Danzo be there the entire time. Would he even believe a tiny dog? Would I be sent to T&I? I swallowed thickly, remembering how Kuromaru decided it was best to keep this a secret, even from Tsume, his partner. Tingles ran up and down my spine in a mix of apprehension and excitement. But Kuromaru remained calm, which was, despite our fight, reassuring. 

It wasn’t meant to be. Tsume carried us around the Hokage tower, towards another, less ornate and conspicuous building. It was squat and low, painted a dark grey, with clouded windows and surrounded by unassuming shrubs. If I weren’t paying attention I would sidestep it entirely. But then I saw how thick the walls were, and the rows of support beams where the paint was slightly smoother.  _ Like a bomb shelter _ , something from my past supplied.

She leads us inside, where it is immediately cooler, and dimly lit. Also like a bomb shelter. Kuromaru and I walked side by side and the only sound was my nails, clicking on the tiled floors. We follow Tsume diligently down a hall, passing a few offices, full of haggard looking shinobi and overflows of paperwork. Through the maze of corridors we go, down a flight of stairs. It was dark, and it took a minute for my eyes to adjust. Instead of electricity, torches lined the walls, and there is a dark conference table, with chairs in the center. Against each wall are low benches.

And so many people. Heading the table is an immediately recognizable figure. Ibiki Morino. His coat’s collar covers most of his face, almost like an Aburame, and his hat covers most of the rest of his face. Unlike an Aburame however, his piercing eyes were uncovered. And suddenly I was very nervous. Sure, I was a dog, but he is head of Torture and Interegation. Perhaps the one person I wanted to face less than the Hokage. And he is staring right at me. Well. Me and Kiba. I gulp.

He raises an eyebrow and Tsume shrugs, before sliding in next to Inochi.Then she places Kiba on the floor, and tells him to play quietly. Sleepy as he is, he just curls up to use me as a pillow. I adjust myself to make us both comfortable.

“I’m only here for a few minutes, so let’s make this quick. I’ve got to swing by the Hokage’s office in twenty.” she grumbles. 

Shikaku rolls his eyes, and Inochi clears his throat before continuing. He speaks in a clipped tone, but there’s a weariness to his voice as he goes through the names and last known locations of several shinobi. Traitors, I realize. Occasionally, Ibiki or Shikaku comments about their strength, or possible allies. Tsume occasionally growls when she hears about the crimes, or comments about how she’s going to need an army of clones if she’s going to hunt down all these rogue nin. 

Soon, the hum of low voices and the dim lights meant that Kiba was snoring softly into my ribs. Tsume checked back on him every once and a while, but mostly focused on the people at the table. Twice, a desk nin came in, hunched over with paperwork and shuffled over to distribute it to the people sitting around the table. They throw questioning glances towards Kiba and I. Tsume or Ibiki gives them a sharp look and then continue listing shinobi on the kill list. 

Why isn’t this going through the Missions office I wonder idly. I try listening to the names, but none of them seem familiar, and it is so dim. My eyelids grow heavier and my legs slowly sink into the ground. Then I am asleep. 

* * *

Before long, Kuromaru is nudging me awake and prodding me to my feet before I am fully aware of my surroundings. Kiba is once again in Tsume’s arms, and I drag myself up, sore from sleeping on such a hard surface. But I trot along at Tsume’s heels. She leads us up and out, into the light that was most certainly much brighter than it was before and I wince as it hits my eyes. Tsume lets out a snicker. Then she leads us to the Hokage’s office. My hackles raise. If she notices, she doesn’t say anything. But Kuromaru shoots me a look, and silently curls his lips to bare his fangs. 

It’s much brighter in this building, but no less hectic. The same beleaguered Shinobi and mountains of paperwork. It was a slightly more open floorplan, fewer walls, and more offices pushed right up against each other. Occasionally a hawk flutters in and squawks to announce it’s arrival. But Tsume is walking too fast for me to get more than vague impressions. 

She throws open a large set of wooden doors, and walks straight to the startled looking Chunin at the desk. She slams down a scroll.

“Next batch of nukenin, swinging close to the land of tea for this one. I’m thinking three weeks, max.” she reports as the Chunin read the scroll. “Going to be requesting my usual squad, nothing special, unless you have a Hyuuga to spare?” she says, in a joking manner, and the Chunin shakes her head.

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow at noon then.” then she spins around, and nods her head at Kuromaru and me. So we leave. 

* * *

She spends the morning dragging us around various offices in that one small section of the village. Meetings about reconstruction, and the various trade routes and shortages, and when would this or that be back in stock. Mostly, she stays silent in these meetings, gathering up different forms and petitions, all with a promise to look at it later. But I know that means she will just hand it over to her husband who will read it over and tell her the highlights before she signs. In between these meetings she grumbles about how she has better things to be doing, how she’s a Jonin, a trained killer, not some pencil pushing beaurocrat. And it is strange, I think, that she has to actually deal with any of this paperwork. So I steel my nerves.

“Kuromaru?” I ask, tentatively. And he looks at me. It’s as neutral as he can get, so I continue.

“Why does Tsume have to be in all these meetings?”

He sighs, less at me, and more at the situation.

“She is the clan head. Opening up new trade routes means fielding Shinobi teams to escort them, and clear out bandits. It also means more travelers moving in and out of the village, more security risks. All of these put a larger and larger strain on our shinobi task forces. The Inuzuka and Hyuuga especially, because of their skills as trackers, and detecting contraband or enemies. Therefore, Tsume, as the head of the clan is supposed to weigh in on the strain any of these projects create for her clan.” he lectures. “Unfortunately, it’s more for show than anything. With the Hyuuga affair, and concerns along our borders, both clans are stretched too thin. But should the Civilians complain, and it gets back to the Daimyo, there will be hell to pay. God forbid they forgo their fancy jasmine tea for a few weeks while we recover.” Bitterness seeps into his voice. “Besides, we want to give the impression that Kohona is strong enough that fielding these teams is nothing. It will bring in more contracts and make any possible enemies wary. So long as the bluff succeeds.”

“Oh. thank you.” He nods and I mull it over. No wonder Tsume is so busy. Dark circles and bags under her eyes, and wrinkles forming between her furrowed eyebrows. She’s exhausted. But so is Kiba. And he is not a trained Ninja, skilled in the art of hiding his emotions. So he fidgets, and whines about how he’s bored, or hungry, or the chair is uncomfortable, or how weird that one guy looks. It’s not long before Tsume snaps, grabs me and him and jumps away.

When I finally tumble out of her arms I can feel grass and hear children playing. Kuromaru lands gracefully beside us. 

“Watch him.” she orders, and then disappears.

Kiba pouts for a moment, before running off to climb some sort of wooden tower. A children’s park. Kuromaru looks ruefully at me before padding off to sit under a nearby tree. So I take it upon myself to follow Kiba through the playground structures. He’s not hard to find. I can hear him declaring himself lord of the castle, and some high pitched yelps of outrage. A group of children, ones I don’t recognize, surround him from below, while the little gremlin has climbed on top of the roof of the play tower. I bark a warning at him and he glances at me before crowing once more, and then  _ jumping _ . 

My heart leaps into my throat and I begin to stagger towards him. _ I won’t make it! _ But then he lands, near perfect form, on all fours, on a platform, halfway down, and then manages to clamber down to the group of children. Exactly how Akira taught me to land, I realize. And while I would certainly be chewing him out, if he could understand me, I feel a sigh of relief that he’s been following us around so often.

The children are all awestruck, although some of their parents watch warily. They all crowd around and ask him all kinds of questions about how he could do that. He grins and tells them that his mom and his sister are both Ninja, and how he’s going to be a ninja too, and that he and I are partners. Suddenly, a horde of children descend on me, shrieking “puppy.”

I love children. My past life I wanted to dedicate myself to them. But that’s when I am not being pulled and prodded and tugged seven ways to sunday. I let out a whine, and Kiba starts swatting hands away. With the attention turned to him, questions resume. Can he throw a Kunai? A Ninja star? Shuriken, he corrects. Can he do any jutsus? How does he train? They all come in too fast, and I can see his embarrassment at how many of the answers are no. So instead, a look flashes across his eyes and he declares he’s going to teach them to play Ninja!

It’s pretty similar to tag I realize, and it’s not long before he seems to have assimilated into this group of civilians. But then again, what “three-and-nine-month-year-old!” (as he so proudly proclaimed when one child asked) doesn’t like all that attention? I’m glad. So far, his only real interactions with children his age has been fighting with other clan members, and getting his butt handed to him. So I watch from the sidelines, occasionally zipping through the children and listening to them shriek as I cut off one kid’s escape, or save another. Then I see a flash of orange.

Naruto. 

My mouth goes dry, seeing him watching from the sidelines. Then he tries to run in, and get the attention of the Ninja’s eye, before everyone stops, and looks at him. Kiba doesn’t know what’s going on, and he does not like this. I can see his eyebrows furrow, and the gears turning in his head. 

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Well, Mom says I shouldn’t play with him…” one boy with scraped up knees says. Naruto flinches and looks downward. Kiba looks between Naruto and the boy, and then to me. He’s not sure what to do with this information, but doesn’t want his playtime to end, or his entourage to leave. I move to sit behind Naruto. He nods.

“Well, I’m a ninja, and I say we can play with him!” Kiba declares.

“But my mo-”

“She’s not a ninja, I am. Someday I’m going to be the Hokage, and everyone will have to listen to me. That means I make the rules, and I say he can play! Now let’s go!” Kiba grouses, and the children hesitantly return to playing. It’s not quite as carefree, and Kiba is the only one who ever gives more than a half hearted attempt to chase Naruto. Not that it would help. Naruto is nothing if not fast. And I can see that it’s frustrating Kiba. So, I do what any good ninken would do, and jump in front of Naruto. Naruto and Kiba go tumbling together in a tangle of limbs, But Kiba jumps up first.

“You’re it now!” he shouts, pointing at Naruto.

Naruto pouts and opens his mouth to say something before closing it, narrowing his eyes, and lunging at Kiba. Kiba takes off shrieking joyfully, and I chase the two around, making sure Naruto doesn’t quite get too close, so their game can continue.

They’re in their own little world, and don’t realize it, but slowly parents are coming and whisking away their children one by one, whispering harshly to them, and shooting us dirty looks. There's an apprehension building in my stomach, and I start looking for Kuromaru. We make eye contact, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking. 

Then Kiba is jerked out of my field of view and I growl. some adult I don’t recognize has picked him up by the collar of the neck and is now carrying him away over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He is lecturing Kiba about how he shouldn’t be playing with that brat, and where is his mother anyways, didn’t she teach him anyways. Naruto slows to a standstill and looks down at the ground. I don’t need to see his face to know tears are forming. The shaking of his shoulders in enough. 

I let out a warning growl, and lunge forward at the same time Kiba kicks the man in the stomach and he stumbled. Kiba takes this chance to wriggle out of his arms and start yelling about a strange man. The man startles, as people begin to look at him. I run forward and put myself in front of Kiba, puffing up and trying to look as menacing as I can, at all of 2kg. The man blanches and hurries off without saying anything further.

Kuromaru is behind me. Figures that’s what scared him off. Kiba returns to Naruto, who is crying, and awkwardly kicks a dirt clump at him. 

“What a dumb old man. Right?” he says, before flopping in the dirt. 

Naruto hunches down into a tight ball, still crying. That seems to be about all Kiba has to offer, and he turns to Kuromaru and me. But Kuromaru just gives me that same unreadable expression and then ambles off towards the shade. So I take a deep breath and then try to worm my way under Naruto’s folded arms. What do I do? What do dogs do when you’re sad?

I tentatively try giving him a lick, and he shudders. Well. Um. that did something? I try again, and now it’s more distinct giggle. Soon he is having a full blown giggle fit, sprawled out next to Kiba.

But the good times don’t last long. The man is back, and he has several angry looking civilians and a confused shinobi in tow. He points an accusing finger at Naruto and Kiba, but I can’t here what he’s saying exactly. The Shinobi doesn’t seem happy but with a horde of angry civilians, he seems to have no choice. So he cautiously begins walking towards us. I pick myself up, and try grab Kuromaru’s attention. Again with that look. But he’s at my side. And soon, there is a shadow on my other side as well. Tsume. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> six pages because I was so excited to get to Naruto!!! Thanks to everyone who left Kudos and comments. Especially AvaHoshigaki. because I love Kisame. will he play a big role in this fic? IDK how to do that without adding a lot of crack. but I do love him. so who knows.


	30. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsume's conflicted about a great many things.

Whenever I saw Tsume, she was tired, weariness visible in the droop of her shoulders and the forehead crease. But now, she was fully alive, and I could feel her chakra humming to life beside me. Knees bent, her body angled away from the crowd and low to the ground. The basic form for most taijutsu. The grin on her face was twisted up in the corners, and she looked like a stranger. A killer. 

Which she was. A cold reminder of the fate that awaited Kiba and I. But for now, she stepped in front of us, to face the shinobi and the crowd. 

“What’s going on here?” she growled deep in her throat. 

The crowd shuffled nervously and the Shinobi cleared his throat awkwardly. The civilian man’s head swiveled between Tsume, the Shinobi and the crowd. Then he pushed ahead and swaggered up to Tsume, much closer than any reasonable Ninja would get to an Inuzuka. Then he thrust his arm forward to point at Naruto.

“It came into our park! Chased our children! I was concerned and flagged down a Shinobi but then that damn mutt lunged at us, unprovoked!” He shouted, turning red in the face. Tsume turned to the shinobi, and when he had nothing to add to the conversation she turned to Kuromaru. 

“Kiba invited him to play Ninja with them, but the others soon left. Then the man grabbed Kiba to try to take him away from the boy and Kiba escaped. Akamaru moved to stand in front of the boys when the man returned with a shinobi, but has not moved from that spot.” He reported, careful to keep his tone level and emotionless. As Kuromaru spoke, the civilian man first recoiled in disbelief and then in rage.

Tsume turned to him, eyes narrowed before whirling around to squat in front of Kiba.

“Is that true?” she says, in a low and gentle tone. Suddenly, she’s back to being the person I know. A tired and weary mother. Kiba nods, quietly. His hands and clenching the hem of his shirt and he won’t quite meet her eyes. He knows something is wrong, but he hasn’t figured out what. He does know he’s at the center of it though. 

She ruffles his hair, trying to be reassuring, before straightening and turning to the man. Now she was the one stepping forward to get into his face.

“Did you touch my son?” she said, in a flat tone. Clearly she was keeping her emotions in check.

The man splutters something about being worried for his safety, but her eyes continue to bore into him. He shrinks and steps back.

“Did you grab my son?” She asks again, and he continues to step back.

“Even after he fought back?” she presses on, and by now, he’s crossed behind the Shinobi who is looking unbelievably uncomfortable at the situation. I pity him. He’s rather non-descript, no obvious clan affiliation, and a standard flack jacket. I didn’t know who he was, but he seemed to know and fear Tsume. But with the Civilian behind him, he gulps and straightens up, before putting his hands up in front of him, in a placating gesture towards Tsume. 

“Well, it seems like there was some miscommunication here, but both of you wanted what was best for your son? Right?” he says, gently, trying to sound upbeat at the end. “So, let’s just agree that it was an honest mistake, Please?” He says to Tsume.

She turns her gaze to him, and he wilted slightly. But then she shakes her head and grumbles something before turning around and grabbing the two boys, while Kuromaru and I follow. She swiftly walks away. Once out of sight she jogs faster. I could tell she wanted to go faster but I could barely keep up, and carrying two toddlers was awkward. She went down several winding streets and I realized she was making sure none of these people could follow her. She finally stopped in front of a building. It had a wall around it, so I couldn’t see on the other side but I could smell and hear that it was full of children. When she put Naruto down, he seemed to recognize it. I can see his body tense up, and I know that she can see it too.

_ This must be where he lives, an orphanage? _

“You be careful now kid. People are all on edge these days. Now we have to get you back before they start to worry about you.” she says sternly, but her expression softens slightly when his stomach growls, and then Kiba’s in response. She looks at him for a moment, and he begins to squirm.

“Come on kid, let’s get you lunch first.”

He perks up, and begins to turn one way, but she takes his hand and leads him the opposite way. He almost pouts, but then trots along beside her, struggling to keep up with her longer legs. She leads us down another set of winding paths until I can smell something delicious. We open up on a street of restaurants and she directs the boys into a barbeque restaurant and ushers them to a spot in the back. The waitress comes over and when she sees the boys her eyes narrow. Tsume returns the look. So she walks off in a huff.

The boys don’t really seem to notice. They’re too busy looking in awe at everything. This was probably their first time in a restaurant. One an orphan, one who had never left his clan compound. Then they turn to each other whispering. I could probably listen in, but decide it’s not worth it. 

A new waitress shows up, and I can tell immediately that she is an Akamichi. She has reddish brown hair, hanging in a low ponytail. She is easily one of the tallest people in the dining room and her arms are the same size around as Kiba’s waist. Topping it all off is the symmetrical tattoos on both of her cheeks. She gives us a little smile and hands Tsume a menu, assuming that she would order for the boys. 

Tsume orders a few cuts of meat and orders some milk for the boys. The Akamichi nods and then turns around. When she turns back, both boys are staring at her, and then Kiba elbows Naruto.

“Thank you ma’am, for the food!” another elbow “and for standing up to that man. You were socooldoyouthinkyoucanteachmehowtodothat?” he says, the last of it coming out as a jumble. He is now standing on the seat, hands pressed against the table and leaning over it, eyes shining. 

She laughs and then says “You’re welcome kid. But I’m sure you’ll be learning all of this soon enough in the academy.” Naruto sits down in a huff, but is soon back to climbing on the table in excitement as the waitress brings the meat over, with a bowl of rice, a plate of vegetables and some sauces. Tsume swats his hands away and carefully places the meat on the small grill at the center of the table. As the meat sizzles on the grill the two boys go back and forth talking about what they think they’ll learn in the academy, and how they plan on being amazing ninja. Occasionally Tsume interjects with a joking question, which the boys take very seriously. While they’re distracted she starts serving them, and when they turn back to her, there’s a plate full of rice and veggies in front of them.

Both boys gag and push the plates away. she shoots them a look. They don’t flinch. “No meat until you eat your veggies” she begins, but they don’t stand down. “You can’t be a good Ninja if you don’t eat your vegetables.” they both protest until she adds. “Neji always eats his vegetables. I bet that’s why he always beats you, Kiba…” she teases.

He frowns and stares at the vegetables, before he seems to come to a revelation and stuffs all of the vegetables into his mouth, chews angrily and then swallows. Then he grabs his cup of milk and drinks half of it at once. Naruto doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on but begins gingerly picking up and eating the vegetables, gagging dramatically between each one. Satisfied, Tsume begin adding small pieces of cut up meat to their plates, which they wolf down. She laughs and when the waitress returns to check on them, she orders another set of cutlets and some extra milk for the boys. The waitress nods cheerfully.

Kiba launches into a lecture about his arch rival Neji and how he plans to defeat Neji one day, while Naruto listens along, enraptured. Tsume just rests her chin on her folded hands, leaning on the table and watching them talk.When the waitress comes back, Tsume finally manages to put some cutlets on her plate, and then on a set of plates for Kuromaru and I.

It was so fucking good. Not to say that I was being fed slop at the compound, but it was nothing like this food. It melted in my mouth, and the sauces seemed to fill my mouth with a symphony of tastes. No wonder the Akimichi were known for their food. Maybe this is heaven? 

* * *

Tsume was more firm in sending Naruto inside the orphanage this time. No matter how upset he seemed to be, she was firm. He had to go home. So he tiptoed inside, and I heard a shrill cry go out that they had found him, followed by a flurry of accusations. They were loud enough I knew both humans could hear them. Kiba watched this all with a worried look on his face. It was unlike him. The rest of us walked along in silence for a bit. There was a feeling of sadness and frustration in the air, and I could tell that none of us were happy about what happened. 

Then a group of civilian walk by, and they begin to whisper upon seeing Kiba. I can pick out some words, including “monster” and “park.” Tsume stiffens, and her mood grows darker and darker as we walk. Kiba remains surprisingly pensive, considering how loud he usually is. After a while, Kiba opened his mouth to ask something, but Tsume cut him off.

“I’m sorry Kiba. I’m so sorry, but I can’t tell you why people were mean to Naruto today. Not yet.” she says, and her voice cracks. It’s the most terrifying thing I’ve heard all day, because it is so different that I know her as. This weakness, and sadness, it’s too much. Tsume is supposed to be the clan head and in control. But she is not. And from here, it’s clear that she is, at the end of the day, just one woman. She looks up at the sky and takes a deep breath. She’s not done yet. 

“I’m so sorry Kiba, there are going to be so many things you won’t understand about this, but please Kiba, I need you to promise me something.” and with this she squats down to his level and looks him in the eye. She grabs his shoulders.

“You cannot tell anyone about meeting Naruto. Especially not your father. Ok? And no more playing with Naruto until you’re in the academy. Do you understand? No-one is allowed to know about him?” she says, and there’s an edge in her voice that adds to the unsettling feeling and the pit in my stomach. Kiba tries to look away, but she doesn’t let him.

“You have to promise! Kiba!”

“Why?” he says, tears welling up.

“You’re father wouldn’t understand, he’s not a Ninja, he’s not like us. He would be scared. Everyone would be scared if they knew you were playing with him.”

“Why? Is he bad?”

“Kiba, Kiba… no. no. he’s not. It’s just. Complicated. But Kiba. I love you. I want to keep you safe. So please. Promise me. No-one can know you met Naruto. Don’t even say his name. Promise?” she says, and the concern in her voice makes him tremble. But he nods.

“I promise.” he whispers. 

She picks him up and holds him tight the rest of the way home. 


End file.
